cookie-cutter
Definition
- Adjective:
- Lacking originality or individuality; mass-produced in appearance or nature: Describes something that is very similar to many others of its type, as if made from the same template or mold, often implying a lack of creativity or uniqueness.
Usage
- The adjective "cookie-cutter" is used attributively, meaning it typically comes before a noun to describe it.
- It carries a negative connotation, suggesting something is generic, standardized, and uninspired.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The new housing development was full of cookie-cutter homes with identical floor plans.
- The company's marketing strategy felt cookie-cutter and failed to address our unique market.
- We are looking for innovative solutions, not cookie-cutter approaches.
Advanced Usage
- "Cookie-cutter" approach/solution/method: A standard, one-size-fits-all method that is applied without considering specific differences.
- Applying a cookie-cutter solution to such a complex problem is unwise.
- "Cookie-cutter" style/design: A uniform, repetitive design.
- The franchise restaurants all had a cookie-cutter style that made them easily recognizable but boring.
Variants and Related Words
- Cookie-cutter (noun): A kitchen tool for cutting cookie dough into shapes. (Note: This is the original, literal meaning from which the adjective derives.)
- She used a star-shaped cookie-cutter to make the cookies.
- Formulaic (adj): Made or done according to a standard formula; predictable and unoriginal. (A close synonym for the adjective sense of "cookie-cutter".)
- Generic (adj): Characteristic of or relating to a class or group; not specific or unique.
Synonyms
- Standardized
- Uniform
- Mass-produced
- Unoriginal
- Stereotyped
Antonyms
- Unique
- Original
- Custom-made
- Distinctive
- Idiosyncratic
Related Idioms
- "Off the shelf": Ready-made and standard, not customized. (Conceptually related to "cookie-cutter".)
- They purchased an off-the-shelf software package instead of developing a custom one.
- "One size fits all": Designed to be suitable for a wide range of situations or people, often inadequately. (Similar in meaning to a "cookie-cutter" approach.)
- This one-size-fits-all policy does not work for our diverse student population.
Adjective
-
having the same appearance (as if mass-produced)
-
a suburb of cookie-cutter houses
-
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