paragon

American  

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

noun

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

• paragonless adjective

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”

Example Sentences

Once seen as volatile, software came to be viewed by Wall Street as the paragon of stability, because businesses seemed loath to switch products once they became embedded in their workstreams.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her canvases are paragons not just of passion, but of art’s power.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stephen Colbert doesn’t see himself as a paragon of progressivism.

From Salon

The “Maiden” is a neck-up likeness of a young woman that stands as a paragon of physical and psychological realism.

From The Wall Street Journal

Can the “paragon of animals,” in Hamlet’s brooding formulation, really amount to nothing more than a “quintessence of dust”?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• apotheosis
• epitome
• exemplar