exemplary

play

adjective ex·em·pla·ry \ ig-ˈzem-plə-rē \

Definition of exemplary

1 a :serving as a pattern

b :deserving imitation :commendable

his courage was exemplary

; also :deserving imitation because of excellence

they serve exemplary pastries
—G. V. Higgins

2 :serving as a warning :monitory

given an exemplary punishment

3 :serving as an example, instance, or illustration

this story is exemplary of her style

—

exemplarily

play \ˌeg-ˌzem-ˈpler-ə-lē\ adverb

—

exemplariness

play \ig-ˈzem-plə-rē-nəs\ noun

—

exemplarity

play \ˌeg-ˌzem-ˈpler-ə-tē\ noun

See exemplary defined for English-language learners

See exemplary defined for kids

exemplary was our Word of the Day on 06/01/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of exemplary in a Sentence

Each cantina has its own style, but almost all of them share several key traits: uniformed waiters offering exemplary service, a trio of musicians strolling from table to table playing songs on request, lots of men playing dominoes, plenty of good tequila and cold beer, and tasty home-cooked botanas (snacks) served free with each round of drinks. —Chris Humphrey, National Geographic Traveler, September 2008
A few Hollywood couples stayed hitched—Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, 50 years and counting—but such exemplary marriages had less entertainment value than the connubial career of, say, Elizabeth Taylor, eight times wed and divorced, including two volatile turns with Richard Burton. —Richard Corliss, Time, 28 Jan. 2008
Among the most important factors that distinguished the best Civil War regiments from the mediocre ones were the quality and exemplary courage of their officers. —James M. McPherson, New York Review of Books, 6 Oct. 2005
as a hospital volunteer you have given exemplary service to your community
armies have traditionally used public execution as an exemplary punishment for the crime of desertion

Recent Examples of exemplary from the Web

More than 110 teachers reached exemplary and 86 reached proficient in the rankings.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Numbers High For All Day K Classes," 29 Aug. 2017
Raoul Walsh's High Sierra (1941), Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947), and John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950) are all exemplary heist films whose style and worldview were highly influential on the noir genre.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Crime / Do This / Film This year's edition of Noir City: Chicago expands its focus," 25 Aug. 2017
That dizzyingly close race stems not from half the league playing exemplary baseball.

— jonah keri, SI.com, "The 30: The Fantastically Mediocre AL Wild Card Race Is Heating Up," 14 Aug. 2017
ORDER THE: bigoli (similar to bucatini) with braised rabbit—or really, any of the pastas (maltagliati, ravioli-like doppio), all of which are made in-house and exemplary.

— Bon Appetit, "The Antler Room," 1 Aug. 2017
He also was included on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, awarded to the FBS player who best exhibits exemplary community service along with academic and athletic achievement.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "David a Goliath: Blough back as centerpiece of Purdue's uptempo offense," 25 July 2017
Ultimate Ears verdict: The best of the best with an exemplary fit and finish.

— mark walton, Ars Technica, "Custom fit earphones: Audio nirvana or a waste of money?," 18 July 2017
The Wuerffel Trophy is presented annually to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn's Daniel Carlson returns to Wuerffel Trophy watch list," 18 July 2017
Rich contends that the military violated his constitutional rights by relying on the shaky, hearsay testimony of a toddler and then allowing a biased juror to disregard the sailor’s exemplary military record as the jury decided his sentence in 2014.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In rare move, federal judge overrules military court and reopens molestation case," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exemplary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

An exemplary etymology

Since the 1500s, exemplary has been used in English for things deserving imitation. The word (and its close relatives example and exemplify) derives from the Latin noun exemplum, which means "example." Usage commentators have sometimes warned against using exemplary as if it were simply a synonym of excellent, but clear-cut instances of such usage are hard to come by. When exemplary describes something excellent, as it often does, it almost always carries the further suggestion that the thing described is worthy of imitation.