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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Woods, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus were the only five golfers to ever complete the grand slam until McIlroy did so on Sunday.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
His father and uncle — the only two remaining rail car workers in the neighborhood — still live there.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Coogler wrote Remmick as an empathetic and charismatic villain — so much so that IndieWire critic David Ehrlich’s lone knock on the film is that, by design, the darkness of the vampires is more about the fun of being alive than the usual horror movie terror.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
19 Apr. 2025
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Eichel’s lone hat trick of the season came on March 25 at Xcel Energy Center in a 5-1 win over the Wild.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Lawmakers can call themselves back to the Capitol in Boise for special sessions with a petition signed by at least 60% of the House and Senate.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2025
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Be sure to visit the Deals and Offers website page to learn about special promotions, especially for families, large groups, corporate events, seniors, or return visitors.—
Wendy Altschuler,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These lanterns are bright, and their unique design makes the solar hanging light the perfect outdoor decoration.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Ars Video Reviewers are critical staff with unique features.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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