quintessential

[ kwin-tuh-sen-shuh l ]

/ ˌkwɪn təˈsɛn ʃəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quintessential ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

RELATED WORDS

ultimate, typical, classic, ideal

Nearby words

quinte, quintefoil, quinternion, quintero, quintessence, quintessential, quintessentially, quintet, quintic, quintile, quintilian

Related formsquin·tes·sen·tial·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quintessential

Ignoring people you hooked up with at Shooters when encountering them on campus is a quintessential Duke experience.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But in reality he is the quintessential example of how Washington corrupts.
Leon Panetta Is What’s Wrong With D.C.|Michael Cohen|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Santorini is an island of churches: nearly 400 of them, many topped with the quintessential blue dome.
Book a Room for Two in a Santorini Cave|Joanna Eede|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No wonder that of all the Bradys, it is the quintessential old maid who we miss the most.
Ann B. Davis Was the Zesty Antidote to the Bradys|Emily Shire|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What, in your view, makes a quintessential Sony Classics release?
Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard on Woody Allen and the State of Indie Film|Richard Porton|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the few, the previous elect, the quintessential in art, let no music be sounded throughout the land.
Old Fogy|James Huneker
He extracts the finest flavors and quintessential principles from flesh and vegetables.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various
She felt blasted by his renewed, torrential passion and the quintessential strength of his personality.
Shadows of Flames|Amelie Rives
Where the notion of doing so is simply ludicrous, you have quintessential poetry.
Poetry for Poetry's Sake|A. C. Bradley
Every word goes to build up the story: every line is quintessential: every flash of thought helps to heighten the emotion.
Recollections of Dante Gabriel Rossetti|T. Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for quintessential

quintessential

/ (ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl) /

adjective

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

Derived Formsquintessentially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quintessential

quintessential

adj.

c.1600, "purest, most refined," from quintessence (Medieval Latin quint essentia) + -al (1). Related: Quintessentially.

quintessential

adjective

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Examples from the Web for quintessential

British Dictionary definitions for quintessential

quintessential

adjective

Word Origin and History for quintessential

quintessential