typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈti-pi-kəl 

1

a

: combining or exhibiting the essential characteristics of a group

a typical New England winter

their typical response

the typical college experience

b

: conforming to a type

a specimen typical of the species

2

: constituting or having the nature of a type : symbolic

typicality

ˌti-pə-ˈka-lə-tē 

noun

typicalness

ˈti-pi-kəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of typical

• normal
• average
• standard
• usual
• true

Choose the Right Synonym for typical

regular, normal, typical, natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average.

regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

Examples of typical in a Sentence

It was his typical response.

It was a typical Saturday night for us.

We wanted him to have the typical college experience of living on campus.

Recent Examples on the Web

On Friday’s first night of competition in Phoenix, Rivera made an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars, falling from the apparatus and scoring almost two points below her typical output. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

The Natrium reactor, like many of the newer small-scale projects, uses a special kind of refined uranium that's more concentrated than typical nuclear fuels, but still weaker than what's used for bombs. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

In a typical day, the house manager said, caregivers are typically busiest in the mornings to help get the tenants up, but in the afternoon tenants usually handle their own daily goings-on. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

During the hearing, Lund opted to add a year on supervised release after prison – typical in immigration cases – since it was not explicitly addressed in the plea agreement. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin typicalis, from typicus, from Greek typikos, from typos model — more at type entry 1

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for typical

• atypical
• untypical
• prototypical
• stereotypical

Kids Definition

typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈtip-i-kəl 

: combining or showing the special characteristics of a group or kind

a typical school lunch

typically

-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈtip-i-kəl 

: conforming to a type

a typical specimen

typical symptoms of a disease