Word of the Day

: August 2, 2021

exemplary

adjective ig-ZEM-pluh-ree

What It Means

1 a : deserving imitation : commendable; also : deserving imitation because of excellence

b : serving as a pattern

2 : serving as an example, instance, or illustration

3 : serving as a warning : monitory

exemplary in Context

The novel is exemplary of 18th-century Romanticism.

"The awards … celebrate the exemplary performance of public school teachers throughout the city that inspire students, model great teaching, and enrich school communities." — Annalise Knudson, The Staten Island (New York) Advance, 25 June 2021

Did You Know?

Exemplary (and its close relatives example and exemplify) derives from the Latin noun exemplum ("example"). When exemplary describes something as "excellent," it almost always carries the further suggestion that the thing described is worthy of imitation.