Meaning & use
non-original
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not new or not created by the person presenting it; copied or derived from something else.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: non-original content / the content is non-original.
Patterns
- non-original work
- non-original content
- be non-original
The teacher rejected the essay as non-original and asked for a rewrite.
Many online articles are non-original and simply reword other sources.
His design was criticized as non-original.
adjectivenot comparable
Not the first or earliest version; not the source.
Grammar: Often used for documents or artifacts that are copies rather than originals.
Patterns
- non-original copy
- non-original document
The museum displayed a non-original copy of the painting.
Please submit the original, not a non-original version.
Common combinations
- non-original work
- The committee flagged the paper as non-original work.
- non-original content
- Search engines may penalize non-original content.
- highly non-original
- The plot was highly non-original.
- non-original copy
- He kept a non-original copy for his files.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unoriginal
- Unoriginal is the more common, unhyphenated form and means lacking new ideas; non-original is more neutral and often used in legal or academic contexts.
- derivative
- Derivative suggests something is based on another work, often in a negative way; non-original is broader and simply states it is not original.
- copied
- Copied is more direct and informal, implying a direct copy; non-original can also mean inspired by or adapted.
Opposites
Word family
- original adjective
- New and different; not copied.
- originality noun
- The quality of being new and different.
- originally adverb
- At first; in the beginning.
Commonly confused: non-original or unoriginal?
non-original vs unoriginal
Unoriginal is the standard spelling and is more common; non-original is often used in formal or legal writing and may be hyphenated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'non-original' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The second sentence correctly uses 'non-original' to mean copied. The first and fourth are contradictory because 'non-original' means not original. The third misuses the word to describe a feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-original”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.