paragon
Americannoun
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a model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence.
a paragon of virtue.
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someone of exceptional merit.
Just who is this paragon whose name is on everyone's lips?
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Printing. a 20-point type.
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an unusually large, round pearl.
verb (used with object)
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Rare. to compare; parallel.
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Archaic. to be a match for; rival.
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Obsolete. to surpass.
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Obsolete. to regard as a paragon.
noun
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a model of excellence; pattern
a paragon of virtue
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a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 20 point
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing paragon
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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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.
See Examples For:
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—This paragon of collectivism is pivoting toward rugged individualism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Stephen Colbert doesn’t see himself as a paragon of progressivism.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025
And Lord knows I’m unmeasured in other areas day-to-day, too, so it’s not like I’m some paragon of containment, but yeah, just the revenge thing, there’s a lot of schoolyard stuff going on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
It’s worth noting that Weiss herself does not appear to be a paragon of newsroom professionalism.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025
If Harry Gordon was such a paragon of looks and enterprise, why had he selected her?
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Her canvases are paragons not just of passion, but of art’s power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
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
While his movies are decidedly not paragons of virtue, occasionally they’ve spurred social change at home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
Why did he keep this, when all his other specimens were paragons of their species?
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
