canonical

adjective

ca·non·i·cal kə-ˈnä-ni-kəl

Synonyms of canonical next

: of, relating to, or forming a canon

canonical scriptures

: conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure : orthodox

His proposals were generally accepted as canonical.

: of or relating to a clergyman who is a canon

: reduced to the canonical form

a canonical matrix

canonically

kə-ˈnä-ni-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web But none have yet been attempted in the Middle East’s canonical shatter zone. —

New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022 Amneris is a canonical role in the dusky mezzo-soprano repertoire, which Ms. Bumbry mastered in her early years onstage. —

Emily Langer, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023 But this time, the culprit is an unquestionably canonical producer. —

Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2023 The notion that Trump was the deserved winner has remained a canonical belief among Republicans—the first purity test any member of the party must pass. —

Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 29 Apr. 2023 But the scribes who copied the canonical scriptures called sutras during the first centuries of Japanese Buddhism employed a more generic style. —

Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023 As part of the festivities, the episode gives us a good look at USS Enterprise-F, a ship which has existed for a decade-plus in Star Trek Online but is only making its first canonical appearance in Picard. —

Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 13 Apr. 2023 The brilliance of Ijames’ play lies in its manipulation of a canonical text in service of imagining Black futures and positing radical possibility where others see only foreclosure. —

Naveen Kumar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2023 With many great canonical works, the audience must rely on an unreliable narrator and use their own discernment to identify the truth. —

Vulture, 23 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'canonical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.