Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ to describe someone or something that shows the most usual characteristics of a particular type of person or thing, and is therefore a good example of that type.
Cheney is everyone’s image of a ~ cop: a big white guy, six foot, 220 pounds...
ADJ
2.
If a particular action or feature is ~ of someone or something, it shows their usual qualities or characteristics.
This reluctance to move towards a democratic state is ~ of totalitarian regimes...
With ~ energy he found new journalistic outlets.
= characteristic
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ of n
3.
If you say that something is ~ of a person, situation, or thing, you are criticizing them or complaining about them and saying that they are just as bad or disappointing as you expected them to be.
She threw her hands into the air. ‘That is just ~ of you, isn’t it?’
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ of n feelings