textbook

1 of 2

noun

text·​book ˈteks(t)-ˌbu̇k 

: a book used in the study of a subject: such as

a

: one containing a presentation of the principles of a subject

b

: a literary work relevant to the study of a subject

textbook

2 of 2

adjective

: of, suggesting, or suitable to a textbook

especially : classic

a textbook example of bureaucratic waste

Synonyms of textbook

Noun

• handbook
• text
• manual

Adjective

• classic
• exemplary
• model
• definitive

Examples of textbook in a Sentence

Noun

one shelf in my bookcase is crammed full of my old college textbooks

Adjective

a textbook example of a film that captures the feel of the novel on which it is based

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This humanistic approach is often what helps establish sustainable and practical treatment modalities, rather than relying on answers that can simply be read out of a textbook and may be infeasible to implement. — Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Science purists will note that this strange new world is not the famously gaseous Jupiter, but an extra, science textbook-rewriting ball of rock located roughly where the Asteroid Belt is now. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 23 July 2026

Adjective

Guyton, the second Black woman to host A Capitol Fourth after Vanessa Williams, recognizes that her own swift and dramatic rise to stardom after years of dues-paying and nearly quitting performing entirely is a textbook American success story. — Scott Huver, PEOPLE.com, 1 July 2022

At the same time, solutions borrowed from textbook European nation-states are unlikely to serve us well. — Samuel Goldman, The Week, 22 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1725, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1860, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing textbook

• textbook case/example

Rhymes for textbook

• betook
• casebook
• chapbook
• checkbook
• chinook
• codebook
• cookbook
• fishhook
• forsook
• guidebook
• handbook
• logbook

Kids Definition

textbook

noun

text·​book

ˈteks(t)-ˌbu̇k

: a book used in the study of a subject