exemplar
Americannoun
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a model or pattern to be copied or imitated.
Washington is the exemplar of patriotic virtue.
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a typical example or instance.
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an original or archetype.
Plato thought nature but a copy of ideal exemplars.
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a copy of a book or text.
noun
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a person or thing to be copied or imitated; model
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a typical specimen or instance; example
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a copy of a book or text on which further printings have been based
Etymology
Origin of exemplar
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin, variant of exemplāre, noun use of neuter of exemplāris “relating or pertaining to a model or pattern,” replacing Middle English exaumplere, from Middle French examplaire, from Latin exemplāris; exemplary
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.
Kendrick Lamar, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his lyrics, is a modern exemplar.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026
Other highlights include a sterling silver exemplar of “Box of Smile,” which is a small box containing a mirror inside.
From Salon • Nov. 25, 2025
Levi’s tennis partner, Cooper Schwartz, said in a post on Instagram that his friend was the “greatest work hard, play hard exemplar of all time.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2025
The founders’ fears of dictatorship found a real-world overseas exemplar soon after the Constitution was ratified.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025
According to this guideline, like may be used only for resemblance to an exemplar, as in I’ll find someone like you and Poems are made by fools like me.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
