paragon

American  

[par-uh-gon, -guhn] / ˈpær əˌgɒn, -gən /

noun

• paragons
  plural

1. a model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence.

   a paragon of virtue.

   Synonyms:

   paradigm, exemplar, example, quintessence, epitome, standard, ideal

2. someone of exceptional merit.

   Just who is this paragon whose name is on everyone's lips?

   Synonyms:

   nonpareil, nonesuch

3. Printing. a 20-point type.

4. an unusually large, round pearl.

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verb (used with object)

1. Rare. to compare; parallel.

2. Archaic. to be a match for; rival.

3. Obsolete. to surpass.

4. Obsolete. to regard as a paragon.

paragon British  

/ ˈpærəɡən /

noun

1. a model of excellence; pattern

   a paragon of virtue

2. a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 20 point

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verb

1. archaic

   1. to equal or surpass

   2. to compare

   3. to regard as a paragon

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paragonless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paragons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of paragon

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French paragon, parangon “model,” from Old Italian paragone “touchstone,” from paragonare “to compare, test on a touchstone,” from Greek parakonân “to sharpen, whet,” equivalent to para- “beside, alongside” + akonân “to sharpen, whet,” a derivative of akónē “whetstone, bone”

Explanation

Paragon applies to someone who is a model of perfection in some quality or trait. We link paragon with other words that follow it, such as "paragon of virtue" or "paragon of patience." A paragon means someone or something that is the very best. The English noun paragon comes from the Italian word paragone, which is a touchstone, a black stone that is used to tell the quality of gold. You rub the gold on the touchstone and you can find out how good the gold is. You are hoping that it is the paragon of "goldness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paragon paragons

What a piece of work is man, the paragon of animals, whose triumphs include mobile-phone shopping and same-day delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

It’s worth noting that Weiss herself does not appear to be a paragon of newsroom professionalism.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025

When he eventually signed on for a superhero film, it was, fittingly, alongside Captain America, that upright paragon of virtue — and Redford played the villain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025

"He's not a paragon of technical prowess, nor does he stand out for his vision, his long ball touch, or his ability to link up," said Real Sociedad expert Ramajo.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025

And the teacher was not only an intellectual paragon and a social leader, but also the matrimonial catch of the countryside.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

The Kushners, paragons of their community, were humiliated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Then again, Anna and Tom aren’t exactly paragons of honesty either.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

None are paragons of morality and very few care about more than their own bottom lines.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2024

And he pointed to Sweden and Finland, once paragons of pacifism and neutrality but now members of Nato.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2024

The early data-processing machines weren’t paragons of reliability.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• apotheosis
• epitome
• exemplar