as in imitative
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model
critics faulted the novel for having a painfully unoriginal plot
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Recent Examples of unoriginal
So far, what AI produces in the way of literature is purely derivative and thus noticeably unoriginal.
—
Lizz Schumer, People.com, 28 May 2025
The Bond films became nihilistic, and the post-Snyder DC films are notable only for being poor, unoriginal corporate gestures — counterfeit versions of Snyder’s resonant mythologizing.
—Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
Kyle Fraser People are going to think this is an unoriginal answer.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
People hated generics so much that the name itself became a mild insult, synonymous with anything unoriginal or uninspired.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unoriginal
Lizz Schumer, People.com, 28 May 2025
The Bond films became nihilistic, and the post-Snyder DC films are notable only for being poor, unoriginal corporate gestures — counterfeit versions of Snyder’s resonant mythologizing.
—Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
Kyle Fraser People are going to think this is an unoriginal answer.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
People hated generics so much that the name itself became a mild insult, synonymous with anything unoriginal or uninspired.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unoriginal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unoriginal
Adjective
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In Roeck’s picture, competitive, rather than imitative, habits of mind rose from religious warfare, establishing a cutthroat system of cultural and economic innovation which lasts to this day.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
28 July 2025
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Nautilus is bold in its changes to Captain Nemo’s story — new monsters, new villains — but imitative to other genre series in execution, and the vibe is a little didactic.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Negotiated rather than formulaic—And formulas are understandable when local governments want to create fairness and predictability.—
Roger Valdez,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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As part of this, S&P applies a formulaic and technical criteria when analyzing these transactions, which has led to a downgrade of Saks Global’s credit rating.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unoriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unoriginal. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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