quintessential

American  

[kwin-tuh-sen-shuhl] / ˌkwɪn təˈsɛn ʃəl /

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.

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quintessential British  

/ ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• quintessentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of quintessential

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

Example Sentences

It has steadily built a following in the United States, earning a reputation as a quintessential quality French white alongside others from Burgundy.

From Barron's

Looking back at the TV producer behind one of the longest-running children's TV programmes in the world, and a quintessentially English photographer.

From BBC

I don’t consider Klee—sui generis—to be a Surrealist, but “Fish Magic,” merging aquarium, children’s art, still life, cosmos and landscape, is the quintessential portrait of a dream.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the look came to be understood as quintessentially British style.

From BBC

Instead, they have produced a quintessentially American phenomenon: a roaring engine of upward mobility.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• typical
• ultimate