nondescript

adjective

non·​de·​script ˌnän-di-ˈskript 

1

: belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described

… a nondescript mixture of styles in the worst possible taste.

—George Bernard Shaw

2

: lacking distinctive or interesting qualities : dull, drab

Their performance was disappointingly nondescript.

nondescript noun

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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

• beige
• characterless
• faceless
• featureless
• indistinctive
• neutral
• noncommittal
• vanilla

Examples of nondescript in a Sentence

I work in one of the nondescript office buildings downtown.

Their performance was disappointingly nondescript.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his third season at age 24, Purdy has morphed from a nondescript afterthought draft choice to an unquestioned leader. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024

For a start, there is Emily (the tirelessly comic Amy Di Bartolomeo), who is the keeper of the flame of all things Miranda as assistant numero uno, and is frankly horrified at Andy’s nondescript clothes and unspeakable hair. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2024

The Mets reached the NLCS in 2024 with a relatively nondescript starting rotation, and of that group, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino are all free agents. —Tony Blengino, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

Advertisement There are 172 Tesla Megapacks, housed in two rows of nondescript white storage containers. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

non- + Latin descriptus, past participle of describere to describe

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

nondescript

adjective

non·​de·​script ˌnän-di-ˈskript 

: belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described

nondescript noun