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Synonyms

sui generis

American  
[soo-i ge-ne-ris, soo-ahy jen-er-is, soo-ee] / ˈsʊ ɪ ˈgɛ nɛ rɪs, ˈsu aɪ ˈdʒɛn ər ɪs, ˈsu i /

adjective

Latin.

  1. of his, her, its, or their own kind; unique.

sui generis British  
/ ˌsuːaɪ ˈdʒɛnərɪs /

adjective

  1. unique

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sui generis Cultural  

  1. A person or thing that is unique, in a class by itself: “She is an original artist; each of her paintings is sui generis.” From Latin, meaning “of its own kind.”

Etymology

Origin of sui generis

Latin, literally: of its own kind

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.

Mr. Richardson’s explication of these sui generis novels is astute and highly welcome.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

“Sèvres Extraordinaire!” approaches its subject—pioneering, astonishing ceramic confections that are neither purely functional nor purely decorative but sui generis art, or “sculpture”—in the broadest sense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

To them, even after eight years of experience, the president is some type of sui generis figure, an aberration in American politics and culture.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2025

It’s been nearly two decades since voters elected a Republican governor, the sui generis Arnold Schwarzenegger.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Melinda is sui generis, and so generous too. vichyssoise.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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.