nondescript

[non-di-skript]

adjective

1. of no recognized, definite, or particular type or kind.

   a nondescript novel; a nondescript color.

   Synonyms: unexceptional, ordinary, usual

2. undistinguished or uninteresting; dull or insipid.

   The private detective deliberately wore nondescript clothes.

noun

1. a person or a thing of no particular or notable type or kind.

nondescript

/ ˈnɒndɪˌskrɪpt /

adjective

1. lacking distinct or individual characteristics; having no outstanding features

noun

1. a nondescript person or thing

Word History and Origins

Origin of nondescript¹

1675–85; non- + Latin dēscrīptus (past participle of dēscrībere to describe, define, represent; describe )

Word History and Origins

Origin of nondescript¹

C17: from _non- + Latin dēscriptus, past participle of dēscribere to copy, _describe

Example Sentences

Recurring motifs, including a trio of nondescript dogs that several workshop attendees adopted for their own mugs, adorned various Stringer originals strewn about Backhouse.

From Los Angeles Times

That itself is a towering achievement, but Roy's grassroots origins in a nondescript tribal village in West Bengal state's Purulia district - thousands of miles from Venice's glamorous palazzos - makes her triumph even more meaningful.

From BBC

Moments before the robbery Friday, the 88-year-old store owner and his adult son were getting ready to close the family business on Aborn Road in the nondescript strip mall.

From Los Angeles Times

It is a sunny spring afternoon in Warwickshire and I'm parked up in a nondescript hatchback with my cameraman, poised to meet a drug dealer.

From BBC

Which brings us to the doorstep of another seemingly nondescript season, but one framed in a bold-faced question.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• uninspiring 
• unremarkable