nondescript
Americanadjective
-
of no recognized, definite, or particular type or kind.
a nondescript novel; a nondescript color.
- Synonyms:
- unexceptional, ordinary, usual
-
undistinguished or uninteresting; dull or insipid.
The private detective deliberately wore nondescript clothes.
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of nondescript
1675–85; non- + Latin dēscrīptus (past participle of dēscrībere to describe, define, represent; see describe)
Explanation
Nondescript is a word used to describe something that isn't special or unusual in any way. You might have trouble finding a nondescript apartment building because it looks exactly like every other apartment building around it. You could use the word nondescript to describe your blind date if she was completely uninteresting and dull, both in looks and personality. Some houses are so nondescript that you have to drive by several times just to make sure it's the right one.
Vocabulary lists containing nondescript
The Giver
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The Handmaid's Tale
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A Separate Peace
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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.
Radburn said it was "remarkable" to find records of the branding "buried in a very nondescript sounding volume: 'The Register of Instruments'".
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The smaller plane then flew to the U.K., where Trump stopped en route to Washington, under a nondescript call sign.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The super PACs have nondescript names — such as Jobs and Democracy PAC and American Mission — and the text is so generic that it almost seems to have been created by artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Jane Street occupies a nondescript office building in Brookfield Place across from the World Trade Center, rather than the Greenwich Village street it randomly picked for its name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
They all wore the nondescript clothes of sailors—roughspun trousers, boots, thick wool coats and hats.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
