undistinguished
目立たない
解説 Definition
特に優れた点や目立つ特徴がなく、平凡で印象に残らないさま。
If something is undistinguished, it is not special, impressive, or easy to notice. It may look ordinary or lack clear quality or character. This word is often used for appearance, performance, or style.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まず distinguished を知っていると覚えやすい語です。distinguished は「際立った・立派な」、そこに否定の un- が付いて undistinguished で「際立っていない → 目立たない」。単に invisible のように“見えない”のではなく、見えてはいるが印象に残らない感じです。an undistinguished career / building / man のように、人・経歴・外見が「特筆点のない、平凡な」という文脈でよく結びつけると定着します。
This is easy if you know `distinguished`, which means noticeable or impressive. Add `un-`, and it becomes `not distinguished`, so nothing stands out. It does not mean invisible; it means people can see it, but it leaves little impression. Phrases like `an undistinguished career` or `an undistinguished building` help fix the feeling.
例文
He led an undistinguished career in local government before retiring.
彼は退職するまで地方行政で目立たない経歴を過ごした。
The restaurant was located in an undistinguished building on a side street.
そのレストランは裏通りの目立たない建物にあった。
Her early novels were undistinguished, but her later works gained critical acclaim.
彼女の初期の小説は平凡だったが、後期の作品は批評家から高い評価を得た。
undistinguished の類義語・関連語
undistinguished の語源・成り立ち Etymology
undistinguished は un-「否定」＋ distinguished で、distinguish はラテン語 distinguere「印をつけて区別する」に由来します。もとは「印で際立たせる」ことなので、undistinguished は「他と見分ける印がない」から「目立たない」へ発展しました。関連語は distinct, distinguish。
Undistinguished comes from un- plus distinguished. Distinguish goes back through Latin distinguere, meaning "to mark off" or "separate by marks." From the idea of being clearly marked out from others, undistinguished came to mean not noticeable or not set apart in any special way. Related English words include distinct and distinguish.
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