quintessential
35
7.4
- adjective
- /ˌkwɪn.tɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/
:
por excelencia
- The small café in the corner is the quintessential example of a cozy neighborhood spot.
- a quintessential example
- a quintessential American
- the quintessential man
So it was the quintessential bad drug, right?
- So it was the quintessential bad drug, right?
- I mean, that's the quintessential line that you're not allowed to write.
- I guess people would look at you and say you are, you know, the quintessential strong male.
- So I really, I argue that action and speech are quintessential modes of self sovereign expression.
- A lion has the quintessential concentration of force, which is fangs and claws.
- That's the most quintessential white guy I could have said.
- And the quintessential sublime experience is a near death experience.
Examples
-
Gold is the quintessential symbol of status, power, immortality.
-
Bob Fosse was the quintessential sculptor of tension and conflict.
-
I guess people would look at you and say you are, you know, the quintessential strong male.
-
But it's a quintessential high school experience.
-
Why is it that Paul is viewed by some as the quintessential Christian in a world?
Academic text (2000) -
So so Wyclef's story, I mean, it's it's the quintessential American dream, right?
-
And, of course, the quintessential power couple, Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Academic text (2008) -
This is the quintessential all-American endeavor.
-
Ursula Andress, the quintessential Bond girl.
-
To Laurie, he appeared as the quintessential graduate student, with a marked intensity to his eyes and demeanor.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
539
3.4
A typical, high quality example of its kind
11
6.8
A very typical example showing the main features of something
Antonyms
Compounds
A friendly young woman, often from Southeast Asia, who loves parties, beaches, and wearing a sarong
How Typical
Surface Forms
Morphology
quintessential = quintessence (semi-transparent) = quintessence + ial
The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'quintessence' using a standard adjectival suffix, so the relation between the base and the adjective is clear.
Etymology
Quintessential comes from the old Latin phrase quinta essentia, which means 'fifth essence'. People in the Middle Ages thought the quinta essentia was a pure, perfect element beyond earth, air, fire and water, so quintessential now means the most perfect or typical example of something. The quint- part means 'five', as in quintet, which helps you remember the 'fifth' idea.