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
Meta said unoriginal content is when images or videos are reused without crediting the original creator.
—
Zach Vallese, CNBC, 14 July 2025
These are deeply unoriginal ideas about the future.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
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 very best ones deviate from dupe culture, which often features unoriginal designs made with lower-quality materials.
—Irene Richardson, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for unoriginal
Zach Vallese, CNBC, 14 July 2025
These are deeply unoriginal ideas about the future.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
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 very best ones deviate from dupe culture, which often features unoriginal designs made with lower-quality materials.
—Irene Richardson, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for unoriginal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unoriginal
Adjective
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It may be borrowed or coined, named after a person, inspired by a place or imitative of a sound.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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Conversations in dorm rooms and lecture halls consist of roughly 97% university-loathing and imitative protests to fire coaches and athletic directors.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Similarly, structured equity entails hammering out a capital solution specific to each company; there is no formulaic approach.—
Mike Terwilliger,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
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Onscreen, those priorities can translate into movies that feel at once formulaic and improbable.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unoriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unoriginal. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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