epitome
Americannoun
-
epitomes
plural
-
a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class.
He is the epitome of goodness.
- Synonyms:
- quintessence, typification, model, exemplification, embodiment
-
a condensed account, especially of a literary work; abstract.
noun
-
a typical example of a characteristic or class; embodiment; personification
he is the epitome of sloth
-
a summary of a written work; abstract
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of epitome
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin epitomē “abridgment,” from Greek epitomḗ “abridgment, surface incision,” equivalent to epi- + -tome
Explanation
If you're talking about a typical example of something, call it the epitome. The cartoon character Garfield is the epitome of the lazy, food-obsessed cat. Coming to us from Greek through Latin, epitome refers to something that is the ultimate representative of its class. Are you the epitome of the hard-working student or do you believe in study in moderation? Make sure you pronounce epitome with the accent on the second syllable (uh-PIH-tuh-mee).
Vocabulary lists containing epitome
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Sapiens
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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.
See Examples For:
Mack is the epitome of a pro’s pro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
For many, Aaron Copland’s ballets are the epitome of “American music.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
"He was the epitome of a successful man."
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Today, it’s been adopted as a quasi-anthem for the U.S. and the epitome of American progressivism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Surely, I thought, this is the epitome of evil: Byron De La Beckwith.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
These are not the complex epitomes that show the extent of a wine’s potential.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2020
To present its hippest neighborhoods as epitomes of a cosmopolitanism that hasn’t turned its back on tradition.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 25, 2017
“Symphony in C” has long been one of the epitomes of high-orthodox ballet classicism.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2013
I read Paradise Lost, or Richard III, it is clear that Milton and Shakespeare took real pleasure and satisfaction from creating these epitomes of evil.
From The Guardian ● May 15, 2013
It is doubtless, from the outside, an appalling poem in these days of epitomes and monographs, but it certainly deserves to be rescued from oblivion and read.
From Minor Poems of Michael Drayton by Brett, Cyril
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.
