quin ‧ tes ‧ sen ‧ tial /ˌkwɪntəˈsenʃ ə l◂, ˌkwɪntɪˈsenʃ ə l◂/ BrE AmE adjective
being a perfect example of a particular type of person or thing SYN typical :
‘Guys and Dolls’ is the quintessential American musical.
—quintessentially adverb :
a place that is quintessentially English
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THESAURUS
▪ typical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing:
With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.
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The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
▪ classic used to describe a very typical and very good example of something:
It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.
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a classic mistake
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The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
▪ archetypal the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities:
the archetypal English village
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Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
▪ quintessential used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much:
the quintessential guide to New York
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Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
▪ stereotypical having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true:
Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.
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He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
▪ representative containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like:
a representative sample of college students
▪ characteristic very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone’s character or usual behaviour:
Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.
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What gives Paris its characteristic charm?
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He played with his characteristic skill.
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the characteristic symptoms of the disease
▪ be the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality:
His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.