exemplary

[ ig-zem-pluh-ree, eg-zuhm-pler-ee ]
See synonyms for exemplary on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. worthy of imitation; commendable: exemplary conduct.

  2. serving as a warning: an exemplary penalty.

  1. serving as an illustration or specimen; illustrative; typical: The sentences read are exemplary of the style of the essay as a whole.

  2. serving as a model or pattern: The authoritative and exemplary text of the work is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

  3. of, relating to, or composed of exempla, or examples or models: the exemplary literature of the medieval period.

Origin of exemplary

1
First recorded in 1400–50, for the earlier sense “model, exemplar”; 1580–90 for def. 1; late Middle English (noun), from Latin exemplāris, from exempl(um) exemplum + -āris -ary

Other words for exemplary

Other words from exemplary

  • ex·em·pla·ri·ly, adverb
  • ex·em·pla·ri·ness, ex·em·plar·i·ty [eg-zuhm-plar-i-tee], /ˌɛg zəmˈplær ɪ ti/, noun
  • non·ex·em·pla·ry, adjective
  • un·ex·em·pla·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use exemplary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for exemplary

exemplary

/ (ɪɡˈzɛmplərɪ) /


adjective
  1. fit for imitation; model: an exemplary performance

  2. serving as a warning; admonitory: an exemplary jail sentence

  1. representative; typical: an action exemplary of his conduct

Derived forms of exemplary

  • exemplarily, adverb
  • exemplariness, noun

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