quintessential

[kwin-tuh-sen-shuhl]

adjective

1. of the pure and essential essence of something.

   the quintessential Jewish delicatessen.

2. of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something.

   the quintessential performance of the Brandenburg Concertos.

quintessential

/ ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. most typically representative of a quality, state, etc; perfect

Other Word Forms

• quintessentially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of quintessential¹

First recorded in 1545–55; quintessence ( def. ) + -ial ( def. ), on the pattern of essential ( def. )

Example Sentences

Indeed, it is quintessential structured finance—the point of which is to help companies try to achieve seemingly irreconcilable financial-reporting goals.

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Prints, relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to distribute, were championed by some 18th-century intellectuals as the quintessential artistic medium of the Enlightenment.

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A convicted murderer in the state of Victoria has sued the prisons commissioner over his lack of access to the quintessentially Australian condiment.

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When it comes to quintessential fall produce, apples and pumpkin take center stage like clockwork.

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With “Yellowstone” in the rearview mirror, but never entirely out of sight, “Landman” may be the most quintessentially Taylor Sheridan show on TV right now.

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Related Words

• typical 
• ultimate