The meaning of ORIGINAL is of, relating to, or constituting an origin or beginning : initial. How to use original in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Original. Someone who is an original behaves or speaks in a way that is not like other people. The original plans have been changed. Our teacher said we’d better come up with something original. An original piece of work, such as a painting or drawing, is produced by the artist or writer and is not a copy. Original definition: belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something, or to a thing at its beginning.. See examples of ORIGINAL used in a sentence. You use original when referring to something that existed at the beginning of a process or activity, or the characteristics that something had when it began or was made. The original plan was to go by bus. 1. belonging or pertaining to the origin or beginning of something. 2. arising or proceeding independently; inventive; novel: an original idea. 3. capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner: an original thinker. Sep 4, 2025 · original (comparative more original, superlative most original) (not comparable) Relating to the origin or beginning; preceding all others. quotations ORIGINAL meaning: 1 : happening or existing first or at the beginning; 2 : made or produced first not a copy, translation, etc. arising or proceeding independently of anything else: an original view of history. capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner: an original thinker. Some common synonyms of original are fresh, new, and novel. While all these words mean "having recently come into existence or use," original applies to what is the first of its kind to exist. When you buy a car from its original owner, you know it's only been owned by one person. Original means "the very first." Original comes from the Latin word originem, which means "beginning or birth."