object lesson

American  

noun

1. a practical or concrete illustration of a principle.

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object lesson British  

noun

1. a convincing demonstration of some principle or ideal

2. (esp formerly) a lesson in which a material object forms the basis of the teaching and is available to be inspected

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Etymology

Origin of object lesson

First recorded in 1825–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

object lesson

It’s an object lesson that fits a broader pattern: For more than a decade now, one man’s flights of fancy have inevitably become the country’s pressing concerns.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Faintly terrifying though it is, it’s an object lesson in the Fleischers’ expansive view of animation’s possibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

Industry insiders have told the BBC that Fishwick is now regarded as an object lesson in how not to run an installation project.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

That’s the bigger story that is being lost in the government’s egregious, ham-handed attempt to turn Ábrego García into an object lesson.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025

Nevertheless, the Burr-Hamilton duel helped turn the tide against the practice of dueling by providing a focal point for its critics and serving as a dramatic object lesson of its self-destructive character.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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