What does "exemplary" mean?
An example, or typical instance.
Exemplary
/ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An example, or typical instance.
- Grammar: exemplary is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: model, academic excellence, academic role model, admirable.
- Useful contrasts: blemished, defective, disappointing.
- Usage evidence: He is an exemplary person with an excellent reputation.
How to use "exemplary"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "exemplary" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "exemplary" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "exemplary" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "exemplary" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "exemplary" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "model" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "exemplary", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An example, or typical instance. obsolete
"[I]n the place by M. Hesk. alledged, denyeth that Baſill calleth breade & wine ἀντίτυπα, or exemplaria, exemplaries of the bodie and bloud of Chriſt after the conſecration, which is an impudent lye; for before the conſecration there are no ſacraments, and ſo no exemplars of the bodie and bloud of Chriſte: therefore if he called them exemplars, it muſt needs be when they are ſacraments, & yᵗ is after conſecration: [...]"
- 2 A copy of a book or a piece of writing. obsolete
"Farther, more part of the exemplaries, curiouſly ſought by me, and fortunately found in ſundry places of this your dominion, hath bene emprinted in Germany, and now be in the preſſes chefley of Frobenus, [...]"
Adjective
- 1 Deserving honour, respect and admiration.
"To answer these questions we must look more closely at the exemplary achievements of [David] Politzer, [David] Gross and [Frank] Wilcek. Here we will see the severe problems facing theorists in both the theoretical and phenomenological exploitation of QCD [quantum chromodynamics]."
- 2 Of such high quality that it should serve as an example to be imitated; ideal, perfect.
"Her behaviour was always exemplary."
- 3 Serving as a warning; monitory.
"exemplary justice, exemplary punishment, exemplary damages"
- 4 Providing an example or illustration.
"[T]ill he infect and poison that age, and spoil that time that he lives in by his exemplary sins, till he be pestis secularis, the plague of that age, peccator secularis, the proverbial sinner of that age, and so be a sinner of a hundred years, till in his actions he have been, or in his desires be, or in the foreknowledge of God would be a sinner of a hundred years, an inveterate, an incorrigible, an everlasting sinner, yet God comes not to curse him."
Adjective
- 1 serving to warn wordnet
- 2 being or serving as an illustration of a type wordnet
- 3 worthy of imitation wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He is an exemplary person with an excellent reputation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "exemplary"?
Common synonyms include: model, academic excellence, academic role model, admirable, admirable, admirable effort.
How do you use "exemplary" in a sentence?
He is an exemplary person with an excellent reputation.
How do you pronounce "exemplary"?
Pronounced /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/.
Etymology
From Middle French exemplaire (“exemplary; a copy, facsimile; an example; a sample, specimen”), from Latin exemplāris (“exemplary; a copy, facsimile”), from exemplum (“an example; a sample; a copy or transcript”). By surface analysis, example + -ary. Doublet of exemplar. First use as a noun appears c. 1425, as an adjective, c. 1507.