canonical

American  

[kuh-non-i-kuhl] / kəˈnɒn ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. relating to, established by, or conforming to a canon or canons

2. included in the canon of the Bible.

3. authorized; recognized; accepted.

   canonical works.

4. Mathematics. (of an equation, coordinate, etc.) in simplest or standard form.

5. following the pattern of a musical canon.

6. Linguistics. (of a form or pattern) characteristic, general or basic.

   the canonical form of the past tense;

   a canonical syllable pattern.

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noun

1. canonicals, garments prescribed by canon law for clergy when officiating.

canonical British  

/ kəˈnɒnɪkəl /

adjective

1. belonging to or included in a canon of sacred or other officially recognized writings

2. belonging to or in conformity with canon law

3. according to recognized law; accepted

4. music in the form of a canon

5. of or relating to a cathedral chapter

6. of or relating to a canon (clergyman)

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Other Word Forms

• supercanonical
  adjective
• canonically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of canonical

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin canōnicālis, equivalent to canōnic(us) ( see canon ²) + -ālis -al ¹

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Explanation

If something's canonical, it follows a principle or rule, usually in a religious or church-related situation. It is also used in mathematics, music and can refer to something reduced to its most basic form. The word canonical is from the root canon, with both evolving from the Latin cononicus, or "according to rule," a meaning applied to religion during the Middle Ages. However, the definition of "rules" also applies in other areas as well. In mathematics, the word is used to describe an equation reduced to its most basic form. In canonical music, a melody line is repeated at intervals throughout a piece. Perhaps the most familiar of these is Pachebel's "Canon in D."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

canonical

For queer people who never had the canonical experience of grinding in their high school gym, a party called Trakata fills that primal need — and operates on the same queer, rebellious frequency as neoperreo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

For a sliver of Northern New Jersey, this is the canonical sloppy joe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The canonical case on this subject is 1987’s South Dakota v.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

But it is worth remembering that the canonical anatomy presented in textbooks is best understood as a teaching model, not a perfect representation of biological reality.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026

As before, archaeologists became gun-shy about arguing that Indians arrived in the Americas before the canonical date.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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