easy
With its clues, suspects, and final reveal, the story is a quintessential mystery.
What does Quintessential mean?
Quintessential means showing especially clearly what a type of person or thing is like.
Dictionary definition
Showing the defining qualities of a kind of person or thing especially clearly; serving as an especially representative example. It can also describe the central nature or character of something.
Example sentences
Quintessential in a sentence
medium
For our family, a picnic beside the lake is the quintessential summer outing.
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The quiet courtyard captures the quintessential charm of the old library.
Writing practice
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Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Quintessential
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
A reviewer calls a tale a quintessential adventure story. What is the main point?
Quintessential concerns how well something represents a kind, not its age or complete freedom from faults.
Practice 2
Use the adverb: The village celebration was ___ local in its music and food.
Quintessentially modifies the adjective local. Quintessential is an adjective; quintessence is a noun.
Practice 3
Which description best supports calling a scene quintessentially wintry?
The specific details establish a strongly characteristic winter scene. A label or preference alone does not explain representativeness.
Practice complete
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Quintessential
Voice settings
Sounds like
kwin · tuh · sen · shul · strongest beat: sen
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordQuintessential.
Partadjective.
MeaningQuintessential means showing especially clearly what a type of person or thing is like.
ExampleExample: With its clues, suspects, and final reveal, the story is a quintessential mystery.
Word breakdown
4 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- kwin · tuh · sen · shul
- Strongest beat
- sen
- Ending
- shul
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on sen.
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Synonyms
Words like Quintessential
typicalUse in the sense of representative of a kind; quintessential makes the representativeness especially strong.
archetypalUse for an especially characteristic example, as in an archetypal adventure story.
Antonyms
Opposite words
atypicalUse for something that does not show the usual characteristics of its kind.
Synonym practice
Word family
Quintessential word family
Base word
quintessential
adverb
quintessentially
In a strongly characteristic way: the setting is quintessentially rural.
noun
quintessence
The defining essence or a particularly representative example: the quintessence of patience.
Related words
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Student support
Understand Quintessential
Hint for students
Name the kind of thing being represented: a quintessential mystery, host, or summer day. Stress SEN. The word is formal and often appears before a noun.
Common mix-up
Quintessential does not simply mean best, necessary, or flawless. It can describe a particularly typical example of something unpleasant too. Explain which qualities make your example representative instead of using the word as empty praise.
Try it in class or at home
Choose a familiar story genre. List three defining features, invent a short scene containing them, and explain why it could be called a quintessential example of that genre.
Teacher prompt
What details make a story a quintessential mystery? Ask learners to support the label with features of the genre instead of saying only that the story is excellent.
Learning activities
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