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model

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adjective

model

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun model differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of model are example, exemplar, ideal, and pattern. While all these words mean "someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation," model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation.

a decor that is a model of good taste

When could example be used to replace model?

The meanings of example and model largely overlap; however, example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning.

children tend to follow the example of their parents

Where would exemplar be a reasonable alternative to model?

The synonyms exemplar and model are sometimes interchangeable, but exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification.

cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage

When might ideal be a better fit than model?

The words ideal and model are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception.

never found a job that matched his ideal

In what contexts can pattern take the place of model?

Although the words pattern and model have much in common, pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype.

American industry set a pattern for others to follow

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 model
Noun
The set, cast, and crew of Xena really modeled that for me. Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025 The characters slaughter demons using their voices, along with various glowing blades, weaponry modelled on Korean history: swords, polearms, and throwing knives. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Choose between a model with a permanent filter made of metal or one that uses paper filters. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025 Patients undergo a CAT scan to show bone placement, and then that scan is entered into a planning software that creates a 3D model of the shoulder. Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
In October, Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor said the brothers had been model prisoners and recommended that they be resentenced to 50 years to life in prison. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024 According to online reports, the buyers are model Olivia Culpo and her San Francisco 49ers husband Christian McCaffrey, who picked up the nearly 3.2-acre spread for $14.5 million. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for model
Recent Examples of Synonyms for model
Noun
  • The ambitious and sprawling exhibition, in the works for years, uses medical objects, educational films, and contemporary art to consider how design has shaped reproduction—something that seems evident but has heretofore been rarely explored.
    Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2025
  • These films have always carried rich undercurrents: the corporate exploitation of blue-collar workers (the Nostromo crew, the marines in Aliens, the kids of Romulus), queered reproduction via body horror, Ripley’s evolving incarnations of motherhood, human hubris punished by its own creations.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • One room at the Museum features a family of all-American mannequins dressed in J.C. Penney outfits.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Clad in white, Kesha appeared on stage holding a disembodied mannequin head with her likeness.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 16 July 2025
Noun
  • Building a sustainable business would prepare the company for future possibilities, including a potential initial public offering first floated as an idea in 2022.
    Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Wellness festivals not going well Jewel had come up with an idea for a wellness festival alongside Trevor Drinkwater, CEO of Inclusion Companies.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The all-day restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch buffets, serving classic bistro cuisine, including pâté de champagne, sole grenobloise, and beef bourguignon.
    Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Going into its sophomore season, Shifting Gears follows Matt, the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • One important determinant is whether the AI is still resorting to human-like language and not necessarily patterning on human reasoning.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Padilla uses glue and patterned napkins to make her ghosts stand out.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Visiting with Sunshine, a SOUL Harbour of Barrington miniature therapy horse, was Leo Francescatti, 11 months, of Deer Park.
    Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Unfortunately for him, that resulted in a ban from this year's miniatures competition.
    Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The figures do not include the unknown number of Palestinians from Gaza detained in the past nearly two years of war.
    Emily Feng, NPR, 16 Aug. 2025
  • But more than a decade later, recent smartphone sales and shipment figures signal that the Apple-Samsung fight has returned.
    Kif Leswing, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • American Airlines, for example, is working with the FAA to develop more fuel efficient routes for its flights.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Japanese is the only language that leaves Li’s mouth, but her occasional inner monologues are in her mother tongue, the most crucial example expressing her growing conflict with the very act of writing itself.
    Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Model.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/model. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

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