nondescript
adjective
George Bernard Shaw
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How Nondescript Was Formed
It is relatively easy to describe the origins of nondescript (and there's a hint in the first part of this sentence). Nondescript was formed by combining the prefix non- (meaning "not") with descriptus,the past participle of the Latin verb describere, meaning "to describe." It is no surprise, then, that when the word was adopted in the late 17th century by English speakers, it was typically applied to something (such as a genus or species) that had not yet been described. Other descriptive descendants of describere in English include describe, description, and descriptive itself, as well as the rare philosophical term descriptum ("something that is described").
Synonyms
Examples of nondescript in a Sentence
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Wilson has won two-straight fights against nondescript competition, and Valdez would be, by far, the biggest win of Wilson’s career.
—Josh Katzowitz, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Giamatti had started walking across a nondescript hallway to the winners’ press room.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Officer Tate Mills — in the same nondescript clothing as Tillman, plus a baseball cap — got out of the unmarked pickup parked behind Jennings’ Mercedes.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2024
From the outside, the Center Theatre Group headquarters, a nondescript building across the street from the Music Center, is spectacularly unimpressive, the kind of place your mind wouldn’t even register as existing.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
With a separate dining room and caterer specializing in vegetarian cuisine, the adult day program brings a taste of the subcontinent to a nondescript suburban office park.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Behind the graffitied door of a nondescript Eastern Market warehouse, just steps away from the city’s longest standing meat markets, is Midnight Temple, a trove of Indian traditions, both culinary and otherwise.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024
But other items that were stolen were not nearly of the same caliber: a nondescript Chinese metal vase; a fairly ordinary bronze eagle from atop a flagpole; and five minor sketches by Degas.
—Tom Mashberg, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nondescript.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nondescript
Cite this Entry
“Nondescript.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nondescript. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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nondescript
adjective
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