What does "typify" mean?

To embody, exemplify; to represent by a form, image, model, or resemblance.

What is a synonym for "typify"?

Common synonyms include: adumbrate, advert to, allude to, augur, be taken as, betoken.

//ˈtɪpɪfaɪ// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·College level

Verb

1
To embody, exemplify; to represent by a form, image, model, or resemblance. transitive
"His attitude typifies the attitude of young people today."
2
express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol wordnet
3
To portray stereotypically. transitive
"The angry captain typified all new sailors as incompetent."
4
embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of wordnet
5
To serve as a typical or reference specimen of. transitive
"The chosen specimen typifies plants belonging to that species."

"I love judges, and I love courts. They are my ideals, that typify on earth what we shall meet hereafter in heaven under a just God."

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