unoriginally
1
6.5
- adverb
- /ˌʌnəˈrɪdʒənəli/
- She designed her dress unoriginally, using a popular pattern everyone had seen before.
Examples
-
Fate, I observe somewhat unoriginally, is a funny thing—in both the strange and the ha-ha flavors.
Blog text (12) -
PhotonX, I'm not sure if you're aware that I wrote a book a few years ago on the UFO phenomenon, somewhat unoriginally titled The UFO Phenomenon.
Blog text (4) -
The author wrote unoriginally, rehashing the same ideas without adding any new perspective.
-
His presentation was delivered unoriginally, relying heavily on clichéd phrases and common examples.
Synonyms
1
6.2
In a dull way without new ideas
1
7.0
In a dull, overused way that feels predictable
1
7.3
In an ordinary and boring way
1
8.3
In a way that shows no interest or energy and is very dull
How Original
Surface Forms
Morphology
unoriginally = unoriginal (transparent) = un + original + ly
Formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-ly' to 'unoriginal'; the sense 'in a not-original way' is directly predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Unoriginally breaks into un- meaning 'not' and original, which comes from an old Latin word origo meaning 'beginning' or 'first'. So to do something unoriginally is to do it 'not in a new way' — to repeat what others have done, and that is why the word means lacking new ideas.