canonical
adjective
ca·non·i·cal
kə-ˈnä-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or forming a canon
canonical scriptures
2
: conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure : orthodox
His proposals were generally accepted as canonical.
3
: of or relating to a clergyman who is a canon
4
: reduced to the canonical form
a canonical matrix
Examples of canonical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Her female figures were large in their art-historical scope as well as in their scale, evoking not just the classical tradition but also canonical modernist works by Pablo Picasso and Willem de Kooning.
—
Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Duplicate Content Risks: Without rigorous canonical tagging and duplicate prevention, sprawling websites can cannibalize their own rankings.
—Al Sefati, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Repurposing that Daniel-Miyagi flashback scene from The Karate Kid Part II was a clever way to build a canonical bridge to Jackie Chan’s The Karate Kid.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2025
One of the virtues of the Criterion Channel, however, is that its track record of presenting canonical classics and recent masterworks lends instant prominence to its new additions.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for canonical
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Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Duplicate Content Risks: Without rigorous canonical tagging and duplicate prevention, sprawling websites can cannibalize their own rankings.
—Al Sefati, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Repurposing that Daniel-Miyagi flashback scene from The Karate Kid Part II was a clever way to build a canonical bridge to Jackie Chan’s The Karate Kid.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 29 May 2025
One of the virtues of the Criterion Channel, however, is that its track record of presenting canonical classics and recent masterworks lends instant prominence to its new additions.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for canonical
Cite this Entry
“Canonical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonical. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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canonical
adjective
ca·non·i·cal
kə-ˈnän-i-kəl
1
: relating to or allowed by church law
2
: following a general rule or accepted procedure
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