typical

[ tip-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of the nature of or serving as a type or representative specimen.

   Synonyms: usual, stock, average, normal

2. conforming to a particular type.
3. Biology. exemplifying most nearly the essential characteristics of a higher group in natural history, and forming the type:

   the typical genus of a family.

4. characteristic or distinctive:

   He has the mannerisms typical of his class.

5. pertaining to, of the nature of, or serving as a type or emblem; symbolic.

typical

/ ˈtɪpɪkəl /

adjective

1. being or serving as a representative example of a particular type; characteristic

   the painting is a typical Rembrandt

2. considered to be an example of some undesirable trait

   that is typical of you!

3. of or relating to a representative specimen or type
4. conforming to a type
5. biology having most of the characteristics of a particular taxonomic group

   a typical species of a genus

Derived Forms

• ˈtypicalness, noun
• ˈtypically, adverb

Other Words From

• typ·i·cal·ly adverb
• typ·i·cal·ness typ·i·cal·i·ty [tip-i-, kal, -i-tee], noun
• non·typ·i·cal adjective
• non·typ·i·cal·ness noun
• qua·si-typ·i·cal adjective
• un·typ·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of typical¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of typical¹

C17: from Medieval Latin typicālis, from Late Latin typicus figurative, from Greek tupikos, from tupos type

Example Sentences

Trump's hinted at forgoing the typical background checks on his nominees as allegations of misconduct pile up around them and the seemingly slapdash nature of Trump's process is starting to chafe lawmakers.

From Salon

In 1965, the average CEO made 21 times as much as one of their typical workers, per the Economic Policy Institute data.

From Salon

"The breakthrough innovation here is that we have derived a very efficient way of finding that optimal safe motion that typical optimization-based methods would never find."

From Science Daily

Partly responsible for this typical smell are terpenes, a group of substances found in tree resins and essential oils.

From Science Daily

So she’s a very typical kind of Iranian mother that I know very well.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classic
• common
• commonplace
• emblematic
• exemplary
• natural
• normal
• ordinary
• quintessential
• regular
• symbolic