as in classic
constituting, serving as, or worthy of being a pattern to be imitated
Helen of Troy was supposedly the quintessential beauty of the ancient world
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Recent Examples of quintessential
Bolognese is the quintessential beef ragu consisting of ground beef, aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery and herbs.
—
Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Pumpkins may be a quintessential fall vegetable, but many other seasonal fruits and vegetables offer diverse flavors and nutrients to add to your plate.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2025
Dating back to the the 1800s, the historic railroad is a fun, endearing way to explore the mountains—and a quintessential slice of Americana—all at one time.
—Acacia Gabriel, Travel + Leisure, 2 Oct. 2025
Baldwin is that quintessential DWTS contestant who looks exquisite in every last costume.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Pumpkins may be a quintessential fall vegetable, but many other seasonal fruits and vegetables offer diverse flavors and nutrients to add to your plate.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2025
Dating back to the the 1800s, the historic railroad is a fun, endearing way to explore the mountains—and a quintessential slice of Americana—all at one time.
—Acacia Gabriel, Travel + Leisure, 2 Oct. 2025
Baldwin is that quintessential DWTS contestant who looks exquisite in every last costume.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quintessential
Adjective
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There’s even been a couple of classic cup finals to enjoy, while the Arch, at 436 feet almost three times as tall as the old towers, has become a genuine landmark on the London skyline.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Both of these have the classic looks of black and shiny, rust-resistant zinc.—
Clint Davis,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As far as gender-bent reboots go, High Fidelity is exemplary.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
3 Oct. 2025
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Jennings and Tod do an exemplary job of bringing this classic to a new generation, while showing utmost respect for the original.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Depending on the geometry, this can stretch the background galaxy in arcs, duplicate it into multiple images or form near-perfect circles called Einstein rings.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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The noodles are then served in a cute yellow and green to-go container, perfect for your Instagram story.—
Keith Pandolfi,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But Pynchon is also funny, and the disorientation of his novels gives ways to discovery, and un-tangling, and the characters have goofy names that allude to their archetypal nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
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This sentiment identifies her as the show’s audience surrogate—the archetypal true crime fangirl.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quintessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quintessential. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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