ORIGINAL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for ORIGINAL?

Need another word that means the same as “original”? Find 39 synonyms and 30 related words for “original” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Original” are: indigenous, native, aboriginal, first, earliest, authentic, genuine, actual, real, true, bona fide, veritable, archetypal, prototypical, master, innovative, creative, imaginative, innovational, inventive, ingenious, archetype, pilot, master copy, prototype, source, paradigm, model, pattern, standard, individualist, individual, eccentric, nonconformist, free spirit, bohemian, maverick, oddity

Original as a Noun

Definitions of "Original" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “original” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A book or recording that has not been previously made available in a different form.
• A person or place on which a character or location in a literary work is based.
• The language in which something was first written.
• The earliest form of something, from which copies may be made.
• A garment made to order from a design specially prepared for a fashion collection.
• Something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies.
• An eccentric or unusual person.
• An original creation (i.e., an audio recording) from which copies can be made.

Synonyms of "Original" as a noun (18 Words)

archetype	A very typical example of a certain person or thing. An instrument which was the archetype of the early flute.
bohemian	A member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling; they are believed to have originated in northern India but now are living on all continents (but mostly in Eur. Warhol and the artists and bohemians he worked with in the 1960s.
eccentric	A disc or wheel mounted eccentrically on a revolving shaft in order to transform rotation into backward and forward motion e g a cam in an internal combustion engine. A friendly eccentric.
free spirit	People who are free.
individual	A person of a specified kind. Boat trips for parties and individuals.
individualist	A person who is independent and self-reliant. Radical individualists committed to quality of life.
master	Someone who holds a master s degree from academic institution. He was master of the situation.
master copy	Presiding officer of a school.
maverick	An unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it. He s the maverick of the senate.
model	A person who poses for a photographer or painter or sculptor. Strikes have dogged the production of the models.
nonconformist	A Protestant in England who is not a member of the Church of England. She was a nonconformist an individualist.
oddity	A strange attitude or habit. She was regarded as a bit of an oddity.
paradigm	The class of all items that can be substituted into the same position or slot in a grammatical sentence are in paradigmatic relation with one another. The discovery of universal gravitation became the paradigm of successful science.
pattern	Graphical representation (in polar or Cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of radiation from an antenna as a function of angle. The school is located a few kilometers away and is run on the pattern of other army schools.
pilot	An inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track. A strike by local airline pilots.
prototype	A standard or typical example. The construction of bandpass networks from low pass prototypes.
source	Anything (a person or animal or plant or substance) in which an infectious agent normally lives and multiplies. Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River.
standard	A required or agreed level of quality or attainment. They live by the standards of their community.

Usage Examples of "Original" as a noun

• The study of Russian texts in the original.
• Paperback originals.
• He was one of the true originals.
• The portrait may be a copy of the original.
• The house is reputed to be the original of Mansfield Park.
• This painting is a copy of the original.
• One set of originals and four photocopies.
• The designer has donated one of her amazing originals, a frothy pink evening dress.

Original as an Adjective

Definitions of "Original" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “original” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Created personally by a particular artist, writer, musician, etc.; not a copy.
• Preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed.
• Being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of.
• Not derived or copied or translated from something else.
• Present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest.
• Not secondhand or by way of something intermediary.
• Not dependent on other people's ideas; inventive or novel.
• (of e.g. information) not secondhand or by way of something intermediary.

Synonyms of "Original" as an adjective (21 Words)

aboriginal	Of or pertaining to members of the indigenous people of Australia. The aboriginal peoples of Australia.
actual	Used to emphasize the important aspect of something. The estimate was much less than the actual cost.
archetypal	Relating to or denoting Jungian archetypes. An archetypal journey representing the quest for identity.
authentic	Of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine. The restaurant serves authentic Italian meals.
bona fide	Not counterfeit or copied.
creative	Relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something. Change unleashes people s creative energy.
earliest	Very young. Verdi s earliest and most raucous opera.
first	Ranking above all others. The first meetings of the new party.
genuine	Being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something. Genuine leather.
imaginative	(used of persons or artifacts) marked by independence and creativity in thought or action. An imaginative use of material.
indigenous	Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. The Ainu are indigenous to the northernmost islands of Japan.
ingenious	(of a machine or idea) cleverly and originally devised and well suited to its purpose. He was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget.
innovational	Being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before. A mind so innovational so original.
innovative	Being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before. Is British industry innovative enough.
inventive	Having the ability to create or design new things or to think originally. Inventive ceramics.
master	Most important element. You don t have to be a master chef in order to cook meat properly.
native	Used in names of animals or plants resembling others familiar elsewhere e g native bee. Some last vestige of native wit prompted Guy to say nothing.
prototypical	Denoting the first, original, or typical form of something. The phone emerged as the prototypical example of point to point communication.
real	Coinciding with reality. The tour turned out to be a real disaster.
true	Of a compass bearing measured relative to true north. The true meaning of the statement.
veritable	Not counterfeit or copied. He s a veritable swine.

Usage Examples of "Original" as an adjective

• Retracted his original statement.
• The plasterwork is probably original.
• The book still has its original binding.
• He kept the original copy and gave her only a xerox.
• The original cast.
• Restored the house to its original condition.
• His work is based on only original, not secondary, sources.
• A subtle and original thinker.
• Original Rembrandts.
• The original performance of the opera.
• The translation misses much of the subtlety of the original French.
• With original music.
• The original inhabitants of the Americas.
• The play is original; not an adaptation.
• A truly original approach.
• An original mind.
• The original owner of the house.

Associations of "Original" (30 Words)

archetype	(in Jungian theory) a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious. An instrument which was the archetype of the early flute.
beginning	The background or origins of a person or organization. It was a dark and stormy night is a hackneyed beginning for a story.
creative	A person whose job involves creative work. Change unleashes people s creative energy.
creatively	In a creative manner. This article inspires you to think creatively.
disinclination	That toward which you are inclined to feel dislike. Lucy felt a strong disinclination to talk about her engagement.
epitome	A summary of a written work; an abstract. She looked the epitome of elegance and good taste.
example	A person or thing regarded in terms of their fitness to be imitated. But there is always the famous example of the Smiths.
exemplar	Something to be imitated. The place is an exemplar of multicultural Britain.
first	The fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield counting counterclockwise from home plate. The first of the month.
germinal	Providing material for future development. A germinal idea.
groundbreaking	Being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before. Groundbreaking research into fertility problems.
imaginative	Marked by independence and creativity in thought or action- Lewis Mumford. Making imaginative use of computer software.
inception	The establishment or starting point of an institution or activity. She has been on the board since its inception two years ago.
incipient	Beginning to happen or develop. We seemed more like friends than incipient lovers.
ingenious	Showing inventiveness and skill. He was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget.
initial	Mark or sign a document with one s initials in order to authorize or validate it. Greece and the United States initialled a new defence cooperation agreement.
initially	At the beginning. Initially he thought the new concept was nonsense.
innovative	(of a person) introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking. Stylistically innovative works.
instance	An item of information that is typical of a class or group. Another instance occurred yesterday.
invention	Something, typically a process or device, that has been invented. You know my story is an invention.
inventive	Showing creativity or original thought. A courageous and inventive piece of film making.
manuscript	The form of a literary work submitted for publication. Several manuscripts in his own hand.
mythological	Relating to, based on, or appearing in myths or mythology. The tree of life is one of the oldest of all mythological symbols.
paradigm	The class of all items that can be substituted into the same position or slot in a grammatical sentence are in paradigmatic relation with one another. English determiners form a paradigm we can say a book or his book but not a his book.
precursory	Warning of future misfortune. Precursory seismic activity.
prototype	Make a prototype of a product. These objects are the prototypes of a category of rapidly spinning neutron stars.
quintessence	The most typical example or representative of a type. We were all brought up to believe that advertising is the quintessence of marketing.
quintessential	Representing the perfect example of a class or quality. He was the quintessential tough guy strong silent and self contained.
root	Cause a plant or cutting to grow roots. This plant roots quickly.
unabridged	Not shortened. An unabridged novel.