nondescript

[ non-di-skript ]

adjective

1. of no recognized, definite, or particular type or kind:

   a nondescript novel; a nondescript color.

   Synonyms: unexceptional, ordinary, usual

2. undistinguished or uninteresting; dull or insipid:

   The private detective deliberately wore nondescript clothes.

noun

1. a person or a thing of no particular or notable type or kind.

nondescript

/ ˈnɒndɪˌskrɪpt /

adjective

1. lacking distinct or individual characteristics; having no outstanding features

noun

1. a nondescript person or thing

Word History and Origins

Origin of nondescript¹

1675–85; non- + Latin dēscrīptus (past participle of dēscrībere to describe, define, represent; describe )

Word History and Origins

Origin of nondescript¹

C17: from non- + Latin dēscriptus, past participle of dēscribere to copy, describe

Example Sentences

It centres on 38 Oxley Road, a small and nondescript house sitting on a quiet street in Singapore's downtown that is estimated to be worth tens of millions of Singapore dollars.

From BBC

In person, Baker is boyish and down to earth, his clothes a comfy, unpretentious combo of sweatshirt and nondescript jeans, the familiar wardrobe of this most unassuming of America’s new wave of indie auteurs.

From Los Angeles Times

Someone has left more than a dozen bottles of urine atop a nondescript electrical box in Pasadena.

From Los Angeles Times

The BBC visited the company’s offices, situated on a large business park in a nondescript suburb of Taipei.

From BBC

As Lana Wilson’s documentary about psychics “Look Into My Eyes” opens, a gray New York sky hovers above a nondescript building.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• uninspiring
• unremarkable