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Synonyms

exemplary

American  
[ig-zem-pluh-ree, eg-zuhm-pler-ee] / ɪgˈzɛm plə ri, ˈɛg zəmˌplɛr i /

adjective

  1. worthy of imitation; commendable.

    exemplary conduct.
    Synonyms:
    praiseworthy, noteworthy, laudable

  2. serving as a warning.

    an exemplary penalty.

  3. serving as an illustration or specimen; illustrative; typical.

    The sentences read are exemplary of the style of the essay as a whole.

  4. serving as a model or pattern.

    The authoritative and exemplary text of the work is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

  5. of, relating to, or composed of exempla, or examples or models.

    the exemplary literature of the medieval period.
exemplary British  
/ ɪɡˈzɛmplərɪ /

adjective

  1. fit for imitation; model

    an exemplary performance

  2. serving as a warning; admonitory

    an exemplary jail sentence

  3. representative; typical

    an action exemplary of his conduct
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • exemplarily adverb
  • exemplariness noun
  • exemplarity noun
  • nonexemplary adjective
  • unexemplary adjective

Etymology

Origin of exemplary

First recorded in 1400–50, for the earlier sense “model, exemplar”; 1580–90 exemplary for def. 1; late Middle English (noun), from Latin exemplāris, from exempl(um) exemplum + -āris -ary

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.