epitomize

[ ih-pit-uh-mahyz ]

/ ɪˈpɪt əˌmaɪz /

verb (used with object), e·pit·o·mized, e·pit·o·miz·ing.

to contain or represent in small compass; serve as a typical example of; typify: This meadow epitomizes the beauty of the whole area.

to make an epitome of: to epitomize an argument.

Nearby words

epithelium, epithelization, epithet, epitome, epitomist, epitomize, epitope, epitrachelion, epitrichium, epitrochoid, epitympanic

Also especially British, e·pit·o·mise.

Origin of epitomize

First recorded in 1590–1600; epitom(e) + -ize

Related forms

e·pit·o·mi·za·tion, noune·pit·o·miz·er, nounun·e·pit·o·mized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epitomise

It always seemed to her to characterise and to epitomise him, that grotesque expression.
This Freedom|A. S. M. Hutchinson
You cannot epitomise the knowledge that it would take years to acquire into a few volumes that may be read in as many weeks.
Friends in Council|Arthur Helps
Nearly 150 of these "Conversations" were written in all, and we epitomise here five of the best-known.
The World's Greatest Books -- Vol XX -- Miscellaneous Literature and Index|Various
The actual achievements of Manet epitomise the secondary in art.
Modern Painting, Its Tendency and Meaning|Willard Huntington Wright

The words, "I am a workman first and an official afterwards," epitomise the creed of his life.
The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton|Mrs. Russell Barrington

British Dictionary definitions for epitomise

epitomize

epitomise

/ (ɪˈpɪtəˌmaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to be a personification of; typify

to make an epitome of

Derived Forms

epitomist, nounepitomization or epitomisation, nounepitomizer or epitomiser, noun

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