as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
among history's greats Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sui generis
That decades-old advertising slogan succinctly captures the brand promise of the sui generis American business that marks its 80th anniversary this year.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
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Following Marxist doctrine, members believed in violence as the only path to change.—
Katja Hoyer,
semafor.com,
19 July 2025
-
One measure, which cleared by a 219-210 vote with only Republican support, would bar the Federal Reserve from creating a central bank for cryptocurrency.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
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Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
-
While Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg — the lone cast member to be Oscar-nominated here — get the showier roles, Leo gives a more internal performance as Billy Costigan Jr., a rookie cop who was broken long before going undercover.—
Derek Lawrence,
EW.com,
13 July 2025
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Veteran closer Aroldis Chapman is expected to be the lone Red Sox player to take part in Tuesday’s game, which will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta starting at 8 p.m.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Aldrin also shared that Pope Leo XIV spoke with him and his wife, expressing how special the moment was.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
20 July 2025
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But that Berger has this moment is special for myriad reasons.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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As always, however, IT leaders will need to balance their deployment plans with cost-management efforts that address the unique capabilities of agentic AI.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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His 1959 Gibson Les Paul is itself a legendary instrument among guitarists, known to have a unique tone because one of its pickups was placed in the guitar upside down.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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