by-numbers
Britishadjective
Etymology
Origin of by-numbers
C20: from painting by numbers , a method of painting a picture in which the colours to be used are indicated by numbers
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While reviews were largely positive, The Quietus recoiled at the lack of heavy guitar anthems in a scathing screed that employed descriptors like "unintrusive", "clunking" and "by-numbers detritus".
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
Speaking in 2018 with the actor Brian Tyree Henry, of the FX series “Atlanta,” he upended what might have been a by-numbers exchange by asking how Henry ordered his hash browns.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2022
Commitment wanders and the by-numbers ballads creep in.
From The Guardian • Jun. 16, 2013
The only interesting thing is how much the failure of this by-numbers dirge-fest accentuates the radical ambitions and achievements of Bigelow's potential best film contender.
From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2012
Michael Holding is particularly unimpressed with England's by-numbers field.
From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
