epitomize

[ih-pit-uh-mahyz]

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.

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

Origin of epitomize

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

Related formse·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. 2018

Examples from the Web for epitomized

Contemporary Examples

A self-invented super-funster, John epitomized everything that was great about the Village in the pre-hedge-fund era.
When Downtown Was Cool: Mario Batali, Simon Doonan, Wynton Marsalis Remember the Good Old Days
The Daily Beast
April 10, 2014
But with McGovern gone, it seems that the Democratic tradition of decent populism he epitomized was being interred along with him.
Prairie Populism Goes Bust As Obama’s Democrats Loses The Empty Quarter
Joel Kotkin
November 4, 2012
Citi, however, is setting the standard, as epitomized by its Mike Mayo blackball.
Do Banks Still Play Us for Fools?
Charlie Gasparino
September 13, 2010
The divide is epitomized in a video chat posted on the Entertainment Weekly Web site.
Love It or Hate It
Nicole LaPorte
October 19, 2009

Historical Examples

In her was epitomized the sadness of the stranger in Vienna.
Europe After 8:15
H. L. Mencken, George Jean Nathan and Willard Huntington Wright
The superstition-fostered thing that epitomized his genius to himself.
The Scarecrow and Other Stories
G. Ranger Wormser
The history of these seven days might be epitomized in the three words—They were happy!
Wild Margaret
Geraldine Fleming
A post-office, with its millions of letters, is an epitomized world.
Foot-prints of a letter carrier
James Rees
By day it is Paris epitomized; by night it is a dream of Greece.
The Thirteen
Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for epitomized

epitomize

epitomise

verb (tr)

to be a personification of; typify
to make an epitome of

Derived Formsepitomist, 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

Word Origin and History for epitomized

epitomize

v.

1590s, "shorten, condense," from epitome + -ize. Meaning "typify, embody" is from 1620s. Related: Epitomized; epitomizing; epitomizes.

epitomize

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Related Words

Examples from the Web for epitomized

Contemporary Examples

A self-invented super-funster, John epitomized everything that was great about the Village in the pre-hedge-fund era.

But with McGovern gone, it seems that the Democratic tradition of decent populism he epitomized was being interred along with him.

Citi, however, is setting the standard, as epitomized by its Mike Mayo blackball.

The divide is epitomized in a video chat posted on the Entertainment Weekly Web site.

Historical Examples

In her was epitomized the sadness of the stranger in Vienna.

The superstition-fostered thing that epitomized his genius to himself.

The history of these seven days might be epitomized in the three words—They were happy!

A post-office, with its millions of letters, is an epitomized world.

By day it is Paris epitomized; by night it is a dream of Greece.

epitomize

epitomise

Word Origin and History for epitomized

epitomize

v.

Origin of epitomize