genuine article

[jen-yoo-in ahr-ti-kuhl, jen-yoo-ahyn]

noun

Slang.

1. the genuine article, a person or thing that is an excellent, authentic, or true example of their type, rather than just an imitation.

   Don’t buy mass-produced T-shirts that weren’t really tie-dyed—we’ve got the genuine article!

   When it comes to real-life heroes, Lieutenant Shapiro is the genuine article.

Pronunciation Note

See genuine ( def. ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of genuine article¹

First recorded in 1790–95

Example Sentences

In an industry where phoniness and arrogance are stipulated in the fine print of an actor’s soul-selling contract, Candy remained the genuine article until his untimely death in 1994.

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Midell latches onto that historical angle, which reads as an intentional creative decision as well as a moral one; if Emma’s ordeal is more thoroughly annotated than others’, a modicum of respect is owed to the record and to her suffering, whether it was a consequence of human ignorance or the genuine article in mankind’s long tradition of misdiagnosing behavioral health maladies as infernal.

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When Yemen's health ministry reported that 53 people had been killed by U.S. strikes on March 15, Goldberg knew that he had inadvertently been given the genuine article.

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Ohtani wanted the genuine article and told reporters after the game, “For me, it’s a very special ball, so I’m thankful.”

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The resulting constructions, the study authors report, looked, felt, and smelled just like the genuine article—and even had the durability of natural wood.

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