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
If your content is flagged as unoriginal or spammy, Facebook may stop showing it in people's feeds.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2025
However, YouTube clarified that the policy change is aimed at curbing unoriginal, spammy and repetitive videos.
—Zach Vallese, CNBC, 14 July 2025
These are deeply unoriginal ideas about the future.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 14 July 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
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2025
However, YouTube clarified that the policy change is aimed at curbing unoriginal, spammy and repetitive videos.
—Zach Vallese, CNBC, 14 July 2025
These are deeply unoriginal ideas about the future.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 14 July 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
-
Since then, whenever new tools to crank out communications have become available, somebody has flooded the zone with the fastest, most imitative material that could garner attention.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Even the most insipid formulaic pop nonsense can induce that almost mystical reflection of life if your connections to the time of its airplay are meaningful.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Emotional depth and suspense both seem out of reach in a story that moves along briskly enough, without ever feeling like more than a formulaic outline.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unoriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unoriginal. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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