quintessential
Americanadjective
-
of the pure and essential essence of something.
the quintessential Jewish delicatessen.
-
of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something.
the quintessential performance of the Brandenburg Concertos.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- quintessentially adverb
Etymology
Origin of quintessential
First recorded in 1545–55; quintessence ( def. ) + -ial ( def. ), on the pattern of essential ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The spoken word is perhaps the quintessential form of protected speech,” Justice Neil Gorsuch writes for the majority in Chiles v.
She was the quintessential housewife — from how she looked to what she did on a day-to-day basis, taking care of the home and her family.
From Los Angeles Times
Whether that would deliver the quintessential university campus experience remains to be seen.
From BBC
Sometimes I take people from Europe there because it is quintessential California.
From Los Angeles Times
Today, the movement known as land art continues to be a quintessential American art form—and has more to say than ever.
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.
