canonical

adjective

Definition of canonicalnext
1
as in apostolic

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in authoritative

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of canonical And has that conversation broadened into a discussion of who gets to translate canonical texts more generally—questions of race, class, and access as well as gender? — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 The canonical example is Air France flight 447, which fell into the Atlantic in 2009. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 The Guerrilla Girls are now canonical within art history, and people often accept their work as though it has always been recognized as important. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Her drawings hung beside pieces by Henry Darger, Bill Traylor, and James Castle—canonical artists in the genre. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for canonical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canonical
  1. apostolic
  2. authoritative
  3. papal
  4. licensed
  5. episcopal
  6. certified
  7. clerical
  8. legitimate
Adjective
  • On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II set out from Rome on an apostolic journey, as papal trips away from the Vatican are called.
    — Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of apostolic
Adjective
  • With the press world’s help, Omar Jamal was anointed as the authoritative voice on all political issues concerning Minnesota’s Somali community and the Somali population at large in America.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The underlying transactions have to be organized and labeled so the system can tell what’s authoritative and what’s just a reference point.
    — Salvatore Lombardo, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of authoritative
Adjective
  • In Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, around 150,000 attended an open-air papal Mass, according to Vatican estimates which dwarf the numbers of faithful who turned out for the last papal visit in 2008.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The South Side team even had a theme night in August dedicated to the Pope, where fans at Rate Field were given replica papal-style hats featuring the Sox logo in a game against the Cincinnati Reds.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of papal
Adjective
  • An invite-only beta version of the Room418 app will launch this fall ahead of a commercial launch, featuring a slate of licensed horror content.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Netflix, in addition to a broad lineup of licensed titles, also spends a bunch of money on originals.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of licensed
Adjective
  • After returning to the United States, Novakovic attended an Episcopal boarding school in San Antonio, Texas.
    — byRachel Cole, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May 2026
  • On New Year’s Eve in 1996, Christou followed Deadbeat with a club at a former Episcopal church that was built in 1865.
    — Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of episcopal
Adjective
  • Police chief and certified travel agent Laci Jo Brimer is uniquely positioned to give advice on how to avoid being pickpocketed on vacation.
    — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Today Shaikh serves as a certified interventionist for Parents for Peace, a nonpartisan organization funded in part by the US Department of Homeland Security.
    — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of certified
Adjective
  • Permanent conflict will only further elevate Iranians in uniform over Iranians in suits—and perhaps even over Iranians in clerical garb.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Men in clerical jobs were paid $5,000 a year more than women.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of clerical
Adjective
  • That means an alert could be triggered by a legitimate loan, lien or another person with the same name.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI itself describes distillation as a legitimate technical method for creating training data for smaller models.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of legitimate

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Cite this Entry

“Canonical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canonical. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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