as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
among history's greats Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again
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Recent Examples of sui generis
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—
Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
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The only part of her body that could move was her tail, which slightly wagged in anticipation of getting saved by her owner.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
-
Why do celebrities buy the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon? Brunson is far from the only multimillionaire or celebrity who owns a G-Wagon.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
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Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
-
The lone survivor was identified as Anton Tselykh, 38, of Seattle, according to the sheriff's office.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
-
In his lone college season at Duke, Flagg solidified himself as the best prospect in the country, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Rather than fret over trends, make intentional alterations to the floor plan that feel special and not builder-grade, McSwain says.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2025
-
They’ll be joined by the likes of Le Goy, Sony Pictures Television President Katherine Pope, International Production boss Wayne Garvie and several unannounced special guests.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
My recommendations are not an attempt to promote specific investment behavior or trading advice, but to guide and inform readers about popular and unique cards that are celebrated by the sports card community.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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Beaches were evaluated across eight criteria, including unique characteristics, wildlife, natural soundtrack, ease of water entry, and lack of overcrowding.—
Passport by ForbesLife,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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