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original

original

250 3.6
New and different, not copied from others
  • adjective
  • /əˈrɪdʒɪnəl/
translation icon : original
  • The artist's style is truly original, making her work stand out in a crowded gallery.
  • an original idea
  • write something original
  • an original work

When are you going to start doing like original podcast content?

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Examples

  • I can make something truly original.

  • Then brainstorm a few original ideas in your notebook and do some preliminary research, if needed.

    Academic text (2011)
  • From now on, I am only gonna do completely original music.

  • When are you going to start doing like original podcast content?

  • I want this birth to be original, one that celebrates humanity.

  • Ray Vukcevich has become known as one of the most original voices in the field today.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • If you have a telescope and CCD camera, you too can do original research on eclipsing binary stars.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Sometimes, oddly enough, scatterbrained Fern came up with an original idea that she, Valerie, might have overlooked.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • His original ideas sparked a new way of thinking in the industry.

  • The movie won several awards for its original screenplay and innovative storytelling.

Synonyms

new
vsoriginal
1.0

Recently made or found and not seen before

adds the idea of being first and not derived rather than mere recency
fresh
vsoriginal
306 1.0

New and not used before

is about being the first or not derived from anything else
innovative
vsoriginal
165 5.5

Having new ideas or methods to do things better

emphasizes being the first or wholly not copied rather than methods
inventive
vsoriginal
40 3.8

Able to think of new and useful ideas

refers to being new and not derived rather than the creator's skill
unique
vsoriginal
3 3.5

A person or thing unlike any other

focuses on being new and not copied rather than sole uniqueness
underivative
vsoriginal
9.9

Not copied from others and showing new ideas

is the same idea but stresses being new and first of its kind

Antonyms

26 7.2

Very similar to another person's work and not original

8 3.4

Not new or creative like ideas you have heard before

Compounds

12 8.9

A condition all people get from Adam that makes them likely to do wrong

The first form of a book, film, or show before any change

The first version of a book or text written in German, not a translation

A soft, creamy caramel candy with a rich buttery taste

How Original

innovative
165 5.5
original
250 3.6
unoriginal
8 3.4
derivative
26 7.2

Surface Forms

original positive
originaler comparative
originalest superlative

Morphology

original = origin (semi-transparent) = origin + al

The word is built transparently from 'origin' + '-al', but the modern sense 'new, fresh, and different' is a figurative extension rather than a direct compositional meaning.

Etymology

Original comes from origo 'beginning', so an original idea is like a new start that did not come from something else. That's why original also means fresh, different, or not copied.