sui generis

adjective

sui ge·​ner·​is ˌsü-ˌī-ˈje-nə-rəs  ˌsü-ē-ˈje- 

-ˈge-

: constituting a class alone : unique, peculiar

Did you know?

English contains many terms that ultimately trace back to the Latin forms gener- or "genus" (which are variously translated as "birth," "race," "kind," and "class"). Offspring of those roots include "general," "generate," "generous," "generic," "degenerate," and "gender." But "sui generis" is truly a one-of-a-kind "gener-" descendant that English speakers have used for singular things since the late 1600s. Its earliest uses were in scientific contexts, where it identified substances, principles, diseases, and even rocks that were unique or that seemed to be the only representative of their class or group. By the early 1900s, however, "sui generis" had expanded beyond solely scientific contexts, and it is now used more generally for anything that stands alone.

Synonyms

• alone
• lone
• one
• one-off
• only
• singular
• sole
• solitary
• special
• unique

Examples of sui generis in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Difficult enough to gauge under normal circumstances, but this situation was sui generis. —Josh Condon, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2024

Each was a sui generis figure, pretty much resistant to imitation or classification. —Barry Schwabsky, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2024

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. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024

There is in fact nothing sui generis about Belarus’s nonviolent protests, nor are they rooted in the pandemic. —Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Latin, of its own kind

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

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Legal Definition

sui generis

adjective

sui ge·​ner·​is ˈsü-ˌī-ˈje-nə-rəs, ˈsü-ē- 

: constituting a class alone : unique or particular to itself

the lawyer's…ad that makes no distinction among various legal and factual nuances in each sui generis case has the potential to mislead

—National Law Journal

Etymology

Latin, of its own kind