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 site includes several unexceptional museums housed in palaces, but two must-see attractions are the Mosque of Mohammed Ali and the Gawhara Terrace for a fantastic view over Cairo.
—Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
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 site includes several unexceptional museums housed in palaces, but two must-see attractions are the Mosque of Mohammed Ali and the Gawhara Terrace for a fantastic view over Cairo.
—Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
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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Calls to the ships’ operators outside normal working hours either weren’t answered or weren’t immediately returned.—
Julian Lee,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Sanoja has primarily played third base this season, with seven of his nine starts coming there, but his last two starts came in center field on Thursday (to give normal starter Jakob Marsee his first day off from the field) and left field on Friday.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Trump implicitly understands that chutzpah is necessary to transcend ordinary constraints and achieve heroic, even mythic stature.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
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In the end, the defeat of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s autocratic prime minister, required not just an ordinary election campaign or new messaging but rather the construction of a broad, diverse, and patriotic grassroots social movement.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Here, in this new context, their large eyes did not seem wide with their usual wonder but swollen with grief and disbelief.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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The critical shipping route, responsible for moving a significant share of the world’s oil, has slowed to a fraction of its usual volume amid the war.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Monday's highs are only in the 50s, and frost or freeze advisories are possible by Tuesday morning with lows in the mid-30s, which is the average low in early December.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The average Social Security retirement benefit in 2026 is just $2,071 per month.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Florida didn't want to pay any homage to Quick during the game, so as not to disrupt the goalie's typical routines.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The proliferation of letters in the New Testament is also typical of second-century literary activity; letters written as rhetorical models, using the epistolary form as an intimate vehicle for argument, are everywhere in the later period.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Although today’s audiences might be more desensitized to such gruesome scenes thanks to hyperrealistic special effects in modern horror movies, and the commonplace spread of graphic clips online, audiences of the ‘80s were reportedly traumatized and scandalized.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
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Standardized testing became commonplace in the latter half of the 20th century as a way to hold schools accountable for education outcomes and to create transparency for parents.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Finally, smoking deaths may seem to be unremarkable because some of the illnesses that cigarette smoking causes, such as heart disease or cancer, are commonplace.—
Marie Helweg-Larsen,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
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If three of your friends are about to be therapists, that seems kind of unremarkable.—
Annah Feinberg,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unexceptional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unexceptional. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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