typical
Americanadjective
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of the nature of or serving as a type or representative specimen.
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conforming to a particular type.
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Biology. exemplifying most nearly the essential characteristics of a higher group in natural history, and forming the type.
the typical genus of a family.
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characteristic or distinctive.
He has the mannerisms typical of his class.
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pertaining to, of the nature of, or serving as a type or emblem; symbolic.
adjective
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being or serving as a representative example of a particular type; characteristic
the painting is a typical Rembrandt
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considered to be an example of some undesirable trait
that is typical of you!
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of or relating to a representative specimen or type
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conforming to a type
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biology having most of the characteristics of a particular taxonomic group
a typical species of a genus
Other Word Forms
- nontypical adjective
- nontypicalness noun
- quasi-typical adjective
- typicality noun
- typically adverb
- typicalness noun
- untypical adjective
Etymology
Origin of typical
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin typicālis, equivalent to Late Latin typic(us) (from Greek typikós, equivalent to týp(os) type + -ikos -ic ) + Latin -ālis -al 1
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.
The restaurant staff served them a complimentary lunch, a gesture that Chamberlain said is typical in Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times
The Northern Sierra lagged behind the rest of the mountain range, seeing just 53% of its typical level of snow as of Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times
She’s made something different from your typical adaptation, a movie that brings a fresh perspective to a very old and frequently retold tale.
From Salon
"It was a probable explosion. Based on comparisons between historic explosions and earthquakes, the seismic signals were indicative of a single fire explosion, not typical of mining explosions," he said.
From Barron's
This system can maintain oxygen flow for up to a month, helping a stalled wound resume a more typical healing pattern.
From Science Daily
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.