quintessential
Americanadjective
-
of the pure and essential essence of something.
the quintessential Jewish delicatessen.
-
of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something.
the quintessential performance of the Brandenburg Concertos.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- quintessentially adverb
Etymology
Origin of quintessential
First recorded in 1545–55; quintessence ( def. ) + -ial ( def. ), on the pattern of essential ( def. )
Explanation
If someone tells you you’re the quintessential rock musician, that means they think that everything about you screams “rock and roll.” Quintessential means embodying or possessing the essence of something. Some people think that baseball is the quintessential American sport. (Others might think it's stock car racing.) We also call something quintessential if it’s absolutely necessary. A quintessential part of a lasting friendship is mutual respect. Good computer skills are quintessential if you want to become the world’s greatest hacker.
Vocabulary lists containing quintessential
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Fast Food Nation
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Vocabulary Heard at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
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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.
Attending a joust is one of the quintessential renaissance festival experiences.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Marmalade has long been a quintessential British condiment, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
“The spoken word is perhaps the quintessential form of protected speech,” Justice Neil Gorsuch writes for the majority in Chiles v.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Writing for every justice but Jackson, Gorsuch declared that Chiles’ talk therapy is “the quintessential form of protected speech.”
From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026
Lawrence had invented a superb instrument for smashing atoms, but while he was preoccupied with making the tool better, the quintessential small-science lab had stolen the prize from under his nose.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
