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
Explanation
A high school valedictorian is an exemplar of dedication and hard work. Most parents would love for their children to emulate a student with such excellent grades. Notice the similarity between the words exemplar and example. This word can mean both “perfect example” and “typical example.” A fireman can be an exemplar of courage, and a building can be an exemplar of the architecture from a certain period.
Vocabulary lists containing exemplar
This Week in Words: October 28 - November 2, 2018
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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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.
He long served as a moral exemplar; he should now serve as a cautionary tale known to all.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
“Nigeria remains a global exemplar of religious plurality and democratic endurance,” said Dunoma Umar Ahmed, permanent secretary at Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
"Richard Nixon is typically considered the modern exemplar of a dark and vindictive president," Wilson wrote for The Daily Beast in 2016.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 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.
