original
adjective
1. before all others in time or being as first made or performed.
- the original inhabitants of the Americas
- the book still has its original binding
- restored the house to its original condition
Similar word(s): first
2. (of e.g. information) not secondhand or by way of something intermediary
- his work is based on only original, not secondary, sources
Similar word(s): primary
3. being or productive of something fresh and different; or being as first made or thought of
- a truly original approach
- with original music
- an original mind
Similar word(s): unconventional, creative, originative, first, daring, freehand, freehanded, fresh, new, novel, germinal, seminal, groundbreaking, innovational, innovative, underivative, primary
4. not derived or copied or translated from something else
- the play is original; not an adaptation
- he kept the original copy and gave her only a xerox
- the translation misses much of the subtlety of the original French
Similar word(s): underived
Sentences with original as an adjective:
- the original state of mankind; the original laws of a country; the original inventor of a process
- The original manuscript contained spelling errors which were fixed in later versions.
- This recording is by the original broadway cast.
- Tonight we will hear an original work by one of our best composers.
- The paper contains a number of original ideas about color perception.
- Parker was one of the original bebop players.
- This kind of barbecue is original to North Carolina.
noun
1. an original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made
Similar word(s): master
Definition categories: man–made, creation
2. something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies
- this painting is a copy of the original
Similar word(s): archetype, pilot
Definition categories: thought, example, model
Sentences with original as a noun:
- This manuscript is the original
- You’re an original