sui generis

[soo-i ge-ne-ris, soo-ahy jen-er-is, soo-ee]

adjective

Latin.

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

sui generis

/ ˌsuːaɪ ˈdʒɛnərɪs /

adjective

1. unique

sui generis

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of sui generis¹

Latin, literally: of its own kind

Example Sentences

“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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on Salon

It’s tempting to think of Donald Trump’s second term as a sui generis reign of lawlessness.

Read more on Salon

Indeed, there may be some hope and comfort in the notion the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of these United States is sui generis, a one-off, a fabulist political unicorn.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Parker was often abrasive, but Crowther considers Parker empathetically, as a sui generis who resisted becoming a cog in the filmmaking machinery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre 
• extraordinary 
• fantastic 
• miraculous 
• new 
• remarkable 
• singular 
• uncommon 
• unheard-of 
• unique 
• unparalleled 
• unrivaled 
• unusual