Emblematic

//ˌɛmbləˈmatɪk// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Serving as, or relating to a symbol, emblem or illustration of a type.

    "All was dreary—all was emblematic of that change and barrenness which passes away from nature, but never from the heart;..."

  2. 2
    Very typical. figuratively

    "With Le Sommer withdrawn, France – now with five in midfield – seemed content to hold on for a deceptively narrow win. Such containment tactics can prove high risk but the only threat England could muster was a shot from Aluko which flew high and wide. It seemed entirely emblematic of their afternoon."

Adjective
  1. 1
    serving as a visible symbol for something abstract wordnet
  2. 2
    being or serving as an illustration of a type wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
archetypicalcharacteristicconnotativedemonstrativedenotativediagnostic

Example

More examples

"He was a brilliant and emblematic scientist."

Etymology

From French emblématique. See emblem.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.