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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Recent Examples of sui generis
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
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
But the project’s early promise has been soured by China’s failure to reach a consensus with the region’s major power and to answer serious questions about whether its handling of Sri Lanka is sui generis or symptomatic of its general approach.
—Andrew Small, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
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
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
But the project’s early promise has been soured by China’s failure to reach a consensus with the region’s major power and to answer serious questions about whether its handling of Sri Lanka is sui generis or symptomatic of its general approach.
—Andrew Small, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2018
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
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Woods, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus were the only five golfers to ever complete the grand slam until McIlroy did so on Sunday.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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His father and uncle — the only two remaining rail car workers in the neighborhood — still live there.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 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
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The Flower Mound, Texas native finished his lone football season at Utah with four touchdowns on four receptions for 54 yards in 12 games.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2025
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The one dubbed Half-Man/Half-Amazin’ answered the leaper’s calling though reputation was his lone reward.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Lawmakers can call themselves back to the Capitol in Boise for special sessions with a petition signed by at least 60% of the House and Senate.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2025
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Typically, a Seder plate is made up for the special gathering and contains six parts that symbolize Exodus.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ars Video Reviewers are critical staff with unique features.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
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Produced by Sony Immersive Music Studios (Sony IMS), the event showcases how artists can create unique virtual worlds to engage gaming-first audiences.—
Marc Schneider,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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