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
The quintessential MacKenzie-Childs check-floral design combines the cottagecore aesthetic with the true art of Italian coffee-making.
—
Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Plaid Dress What’s the quintessential print that always makes a return this time of year?
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The setting makes sense given that Safdie is a quintessential Big Apple filmmaker, Chalamet is a native son and the film was shot in the five boroughs.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Plaid Dress What’s the quintessential print that always makes a return this time of year?
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
The setting makes sense given that Safdie is a quintessential Big Apple filmmaker, Chalamet is a native son and the film was shot in the five boroughs.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quintessential
Adjective
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And don’t forget to book a table at the bijou Il Piccolo restaurant, comprising just nine tables to offer—in the spirit of Violino d’Oro more broadly—subtle, meticulously executed riffs on classic Venetian fare and the flavors of the lagoon.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
13 Oct. 2025
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From classic stud earrings to trendy chunky rings, here are the best jewelry gifts to shop this season.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Charlap plays hem all with exemplary taste.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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As far as gender-bent reboots go, High Fidelity is exemplary.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
3 Oct. 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 16 Oct. 2025.
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