ˌən-ik-ˈsep-sh(ə-)nəl
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events
the physicist, now regarded as one of the brightest minds in science, was an unexceptional student as a child
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Recent Examples of unexceptional
The Citizen: This is a character who is normal in every possible way, living an unexceptional life, who makes a morally dubious choice that leads them down The Path Of No Return.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Aaron Rodgers has plenty to prove heading into the Pittsburgh Steelers' season opener after a rather unexceptional 2024 from both a team and an individual perspective.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
The kitchen is … perfectly unexceptional and very studio size.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 28 July 2025
Left exposed, Lebanon could not prevent Iran from projecting its power through Hezbollah, which evolved from its original state as an unexceptional guerilla force into a highly professional and well-armed paramilitary organization.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2010
See All Example Sentences for unexceptional
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Aaron Rodgers has plenty to prove heading into the Pittsburgh Steelers' season opener after a rather unexceptional 2024 from both a team and an individual perspective.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
The kitchen is … perfectly unexceptional and very studio size.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 28 July 2025
Left exposed, Lebanon could not prevent Iran from projecting its power through Hezbollah, which evolved from its original state as an unexceptional guerilla force into a highly professional and well-armed paramilitary organization.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2010
See All Example Sentences for unexceptional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unexceptional
Adjective
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To achieve the look, start by painting normal hearts.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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This winter began unusually warm in Austin, but over the past week, Mother Nature has reminded us of her power, and how arctic cold fronts are normal for this time of year in the Lone Star State.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Biting cold temperatures will turn the ordinary bustle of life outdoors on a North Texas weekday largely inside on Monday as wind chills drop to as low as 10 below zero.—
Star-Telegram staff,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Jan. 2026
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The government had enacted reforms that triggered a sudden spike in the prices of basic commodities and placed immense pressure on ordinary households.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Saturday's game was on Amazon Prime, so a lot more people than usual saw it.—
Scott Fowler The Charlotte Observer,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
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The singer also took a softer approach with her glam, trading her usual babydoll blush and statement eye makeup for cloud lips, frosted highlighter, and natural-looking lashes.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Growth in services consumption outpacing goods expenditure largely reflects rising average income levels and would likely have occurred even without policy support, said Duncan Wrigley, chief China economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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As digital distractions, from texting, social media, breaking news, work, and more, increasingly encroach on our lives, our average attention span — the length of time a person is able to concentrate mentally on a specific activity — has shrunk.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In other words, the typical beneficiary of tighter air quality standards is an elderly retiree, not a child or a working-age adult.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Zillow calculates the value of a typical home using the average middle third of home values (eliminating statistical anomalies at the high and low end).—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The scene from my dream is commonplace not only in my adopted home, the United States, and other liberal democracies, but even, in a constrained fashion, in the neighboring Turkey and Pakistan.—
Arash Azizi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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There was a hum at Gillette Stadium, the kind that used to be commonplace here.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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All those great ships, their holds full of human cargo, had been conjured up in an unremarkable spot in present-day Mudchute Park.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The relentless flow of appalling events eventually overloads the nervous system; the rising tide of brutality, which once seemed shocking, comes to seem unremarkable.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unexceptional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unexceptional. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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