as in classic
constituting, serving as, or worthy of being a pattern to be imitated
a paradigmatic essay in which the writer presents his point of view clearly and engagingly
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Recent Examples of paradigmatic
The paradigmatic helicopter parent hovered from a distance and in most cases didn’t follow their child to college.
—
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
The 1994 slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda became the paradigmatic example, prosecuted at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and recognized by the UN Security Council.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Though beloved by many straight men for the wrong reasons, the central character in American Psycho — a movie directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel written by a gay man — has always been paradigmatic of repressed same-sex desire.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
The 1994 slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda became the paradigmatic example, prosecuted at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and recognized by the UN Security Council.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Though beloved by many straight men for the wrong reasons, the central character in American Psycho — a movie directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel written by a gay man — has always been paradigmatic of repressed same-sex desire.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradigmatic
Adjective
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That shot-on-film aspect lends to the film feeling like a throwback to classic coming-of-age movies, but with a chilling twist.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Nov. 2025
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But of course, for space nerds like us, lots of old, classic factions and debates pop out of this new framework.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Both were exemplary but had to be substituted due to injury.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Now, he’s being remembered as an exemplary leader.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Part of how The Actors’ Gang achieves this success is through varied experimental theater techniques, including commedia dell’arte, an ancient form of performance art that teaches its subjects about archetypical characters.—
Senior Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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The archetypal trickster reemerged in popular culture in the 1970s, driven by the disillusionment and violence of the Vietnam War era.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For a festive look both indoors and out, garlands and wreaths offer that quintessential winter charm.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
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The two contributed to a decade widely regarded as the Dead’s most adventurous, playing in the band from 1971 to 1979, and appearing on the quintessential live album Europe ‘72.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Anybody making a definitive call on McCarthy’s trajectory is missing the boat on the sample necessary to make those kinds of judgments.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
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The two men went on to co-author a definitive 1,500-page textbook on SAT.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The carbon nanofiber provides mechanical stability, abundant pore channels, and excellent electrolyte wettability, while the cobalt sites catalyze the adsorption and conversion of polysulfides.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Includes gardening tips to grow perfect perennials and chiles for every palate, plus articles on delicious Ukrainian food dishes and Christmas family traditions, banana recipe contest winners and practical life advice.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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To this day, it's celebrated as one of the most iconic musical pairings ever captured on television — a shimmering handoff between generations and a snapshot of two powerhouse voices meeting in perfect harmony.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Legion’s strategy is to stay model-agnostic and focus on secure, interoperable agentic workflows that span multiple systems.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement The most valuable work will come from your ability to conduct a multi-agent, multi-model workflow, synthesizing the outputs of specialized tools into a cohesive and superior whole.—
Marco Argenti,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paradigmatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paradigmatic. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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