unoriginal
Lacking fresh ideas
Unoriginal describes something lacking novelty or freshness—derivative, imitative, or predictable.
An unoriginal idea rehashes what's already been said.
An unoriginal film borrows too heavily from its predecessors.
The word implies creative failure: not just familiar, but disappointingly so.
Critics dismissed the album as competent but unoriginal.
Overused, lacking freshness
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- commonplaceUnremarkable and frequent
- prosaicLacking imagination or excitement
- vapidDull, without depth
insipid · bland · pedestrian · ho-hum · humdrum · uninspired · unimaginative · stale
Overused and unoriginal
- overusedEmployed too frequently
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- shopwornDeteriorated from display
- threadbareWorn until transparent
moth-eaten · well-worn · timeworn · bromide · chestnut · platitude · trope · truism
Able to be foreseen
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- templatedMade from preset framework
- by-the-numbersFollowing established procedure exactly
- paint-by-numbersNumbered section coloring system
cookie-cutter · standardized · mechanical · routine · expected · typical · stock · boilerplate
No longer fresh
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- passéNo longer fashionable
- obsoleteNo longer in use
old-fashioned · behind-the-times · unfashionable · yesterday's · musty · fusty · dusty · frumpy
Copying others' style
- copiedReproduced from original
- borrowedTaken for temporary use
- secondhandHaving had prior ownership
- rehashedReused without fresh thought
plagiarized · knockoff · unattributed · lifted · cribbed · appropriated · recycled · regurgitated
trite
Overused, lacking freshness
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- commonplaceUnremarkable and frequent
- prosaicLacking imagination or excitement
vapid · insipid · bland · pedestrian · ho-hum · humdrum · uninspired · unimaginative · stale · tired
hackneyed
Overused and unoriginal
threadbare · moth-eaten · well-worn · timeworn · bromide · chestnut · platitude · trope · truism · old-hat
predictable
Able to be foreseen
- conventionalFollowing accepted practices
- templatedMade from preset framework
- by-the-numbersFollowing established procedure exactly
paint-by-numbers · cookie-cutter · standardized · mechanical · routine · expected · typical · stock · boilerplate · prefabricated
stale
No longer fresh
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- passéNo longer fashionable
obsolete · old-fashioned · behind-the-times · unfashionable · yesterday's · musty · fusty · dusty · frumpy · unhip
imitative
Copying others' style
- copiedReproduced from original
- borrowedTaken for temporary use
- secondhandHaving had prior ownership
rehashed · plagiarized · knockoff · unattributed · lifted · cribbed · appropriated · recycled · regurgitated · echoed
- descriptorsnew, novel, innovative, modern, advanced
- Cookie-Cuttertemplate, mold, clone, copycat, carbon copy
unoriginaloriginal
First or inventive
innovative · creative · novel · groundbreaking · fresh