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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NONDESCRIPT

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If you describe a subject in detail, as if you're drawing an outline of it, you're __line__ng it. But that's hard to do when your subject is vague or drab or has no distinguishing qualities. Then you're dealing with something nondescript.

make your point with...

"NONDESCRIPT"

("Non" means "not," and "descript" means "easy to describe because the features are so easy to notice.")

Like it sounds, something nondescript is hard to describe (or impossible to describe) because it's not interesting, because it's hard to put it in a category, or because it doesn't have any easy-to-notice features.

Pronunciation:
non duh SKRIPT

Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "a nondescript thing" or "a nondescript person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was nondescript" or "He was nondescript.")

Other forms:
The opposite is "descript," which you tend to use along with "nondescript" rather than by itself.
"Nondescript" is also a noun meaning the thing or person who's hard to describe. But that noun is rare today.

How to use it:

Talk about nondescript things and places. A nondescript insect doesn't look like a ladybug or anything else specific; it just looks like a bug. A nondescript house doesn't have any interesting doors or windows or exterior colors. A nondescript envelope addressed to you has no logos or markings and is probably junk. And a nondescript town has no particular landmarks or quirks.

You might also talk about nondescript people, but that's less common and somewhat insulting: "We interviewed a series of nondescript applicants."

examples:

Our first home together was a nondescript apartment on an even less descript street. We loved it.

After a nondescript month of working hard, being busy, and learning nothing, I realized something needed to change.

study it now:

Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "nondescript" means when you can explain it without saying "colorless" or "having nothing that stands out."

try it out:

Think of a food, song, book, show, or movie that seems dull to you. Fill in the blanks: "_____ is/are a nondescript (type of thing), with no (specific feature[s] that you like)."

Example: "The veggie fajitas here are a nondescript heap of onions and squash, with no peppers or seasoning."

before you review:

Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.

This month, we're playing "You Know, That Thing!"

This game challenges your powers of recall. Start a timer: twenty seconds if you're an adult, longer if you're a kid or an English language learner. Read the description of each thing, and come up with its name. Try to name all three before your timer runs out. (Scroll all the way down for the answers.)

Ready? Go!

1. Decorative or functional molding attached to a wall at about the height of the back of a chair is…
2. From Irish legend, a shrieking female spirit is a…
3. On a map, the circle that shows where North, South, East, and West are is the…

review today's word:

1. One opposite of NONDESCRIPT is

A. EXTINCT
B. DISTINCTIVE
C. INSTINCTIVE

2. The nondescript office building _____ in the distance.

A. gleamed, resplendent and clean,
B. towered menacingly
C. squatted

Answers are below.

a final word:

To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.

Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. C

Answers to game questions:
1. chair rail (or dado rail)
2. banshee
3. compass rose, wind rose, or Rose of the Winds

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