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

• canonically adverb
• supercanonical adjective

Etymology

Origin of canonical

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

Example Sentences

Ideas such as string theory, loop quantum gravity, canonical quantum gravity, and asymptotically safe gravity all attempt to bridge the gap.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

The construction board, a private canonical foundation, had intended to complete work on the Sagrada Familia, considered the world's most famous unfinished building, this year.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

Those and all his other canonical works are included in this exhibition of over 100 objects organized by the Louvre’s Sébastien Allard and Côme Fabre.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

Everything from writer-director Celine Song’s screenplay to Lucy’s canonical salary and a trenchcoat she wears during one sequence has become the fodder of critique.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

A “grand canonical ensemble” is, oddly enough, the proper term for a quantitative model system in thermodynamics, borrowed from music by way of mathematics.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas