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

Yet the stresses of Series games are sui generis, sometimes requiring extraordinary exertions. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

No artist is completely original, but time has proven Lady Gaga sui generis. —Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024

Parker was often abrasive, but Crowther considers Parker empathetically, as a sui generis who resisted becoming a cog in the filmmaking machinery. —Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024

The Religious is the sui generis otherworldly; the Media is the epitome of the profane this-worldly. —Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024

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