as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
among history's greats Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sui generis
The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another.
—
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The sui generis nature of Japanese culture, practices and lifestyle continue to be a font of inspiration for directors in the region.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His photography is truly rare—sui generis.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
People think that this fake news phenomenon is a sui generis invention of the digital age.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The sui generis nature of Japanese culture, practices and lifestyle continue to be a font of inspiration for directors in the region.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His photography is truly rare—sui generis.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
People think that this fake news phenomenon is a sui generis invention of the digital age.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
-
Over the next month, in the only weekend games United will play until Leeds United visit on April 11, Palace and Villa both go to Old Trafford on Sundays after European ties on the Thursdays.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The strait is the only way to ship crude from oil-rich Persian Gulf countries to the rest of the world.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
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Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
-
Vedam’s supporters believe investigators fixated on him as the lone suspect at the expense of other legitimate leads, arguing that his ethnicity played a role in how authorities homed in on him in the early days of the case and at trial.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Barnes’ goal was her first point of the tournament, leaving seventh defender Rory Guilday as the lone American skater to not yet register a point through six games.—
John Wawrow,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For her 38th birthday, Rih opted to embrace some special vintage Gucci.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2026
-
And coaching his daughter has been extra special.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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