Thesaurus results for EXEMPLAR

Q: How does the noun 'exemplar' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of exemplar are example , ideal , model , and pattern . While all these words mean "someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation," exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification. // cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage

Q: Where would 'example' be a reasonable alternative to 'exemplar'?

While the synonyms example and exemplar are close in meaning, example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning. // children tend to follow the example of their parents

Q: When is 'ideal' a more appropriate choice than 'exemplar'?

Although the words ideal and exemplar have much in common, ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception. // never found a job that matched his ideal

Q: When would 'model' be a good substitute for 'exemplar'?

The synonyms model and exemplar are sometimes interchangeable, but model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation. // a decor that is a model of good taste

Q: When is it sensible to use 'pattern' instead of 'exemplar'?

The words pattern and exemplar can be used in similar contexts, but pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype. // American industry set a pattern for others to follow

exemplar

noun

ig-ˈzem-ˌplär

Definition of exemplar

as in example

one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like the village's Congregational church could serve as an exemplar of the white clapboard church with a steeple that is a fixture in old New England towns

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in model

someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation few of history's heroes were quite the exemplars that generations of schoolteachers made them out to be

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in classic

the most perfect type or example the paintings of the French painter Claude Monet are often regarded as exemplars of Impressionism

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun exemplar differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of exemplar are example, ideal, model, and pattern. While all these words mean "someone or something set before one for guidance or imitation," exemplar suggests either a faultless example to be emulated or a perfect typification.

cited Joan of Arc as the exemplar of courage

Where would example be a reasonable alternative to exemplar?

While the synonyms example and exemplar are close in meaning, example applies to a person to be imitated or in some contexts on no account to be imitated but to be regarded as a warning.

children tend to follow the example of their parents

When is ideal a more appropriate choice than exemplar?

Although the words ideal and exemplar have much in common, ideal implies the best possible exemplification either in reality or in conception.

never found a job that matched his ideal

When would model be a good substitute for exemplar?

The synonyms model and exemplar are sometimes interchangeable, but model applies to something taken or proposed as worthy of imitation.

a decor that is a model of good taste

When is it sensible to use pattern instead of exemplar?

The words pattern and exemplar can be used in similar contexts, but pattern suggests a clear and detailed archetype or prototype.

American industry set a pattern for others to follow

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of exemplar But the other piece of AISI news last week makes clear just what sort of challenges de Zoete will face—and is indicative of why AISI may not really be the exemplar of savvy AI governance that its boosters like to crow about. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Architect William Levy Alexander designed the three-bedroom home that stands as an exemplar of early 20th-century modernism. — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026 One of this model’s best exemplars is an object known as MoM-BH*-1, first found in JWST images from 2023 and the subject of a paper published today in Nature. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026 Panegyrists of the American Century would hold up artists such as Pollock as exemplars of the new dynamism, the new liberty of free expression. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for exemplar

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exemplar

Noun

The world’s highest-profile tech billionaires offer the most conspicuous examples.

— Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
One particularly promising example is an MRI technique that identifies the central vein sign, a feature that can help physicians distinguish lesions associated with MS from abnormalities caused by other conditions.

— Bruce Bebo, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of example

Noun

Next, the researchers developed a simplified model that reproduced the observed rotation and current increase.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
The vicious cycle of the current model, of course, is that to become marketable a team needs to get and retain good players, and to do that a school has to spend money, which cycles the whole thing back to the start.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of model

Noun

If ordering à la carte, opt for Hanoian classics like phở bò and bún thang.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Watch On In this Canadian cult classic that doubles as a coming-of-age story, a sardonic goth transforms into a werewolf in the days leading up to Halloween and terrifies her younger sister.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of classic

Noun

Our research and engineering remain world-class, but our record of getting ideas to market and improving how products are made has been less stellar.

— Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
It has also been designed as a neighborhood gathering space, with Apartment at 365, the physical space representing the Happier pillar of discovery, idea exchange, community, creativity and collaboration.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of idea

Noun

Eisenkot sees the election as a test of whether Israel can preserve the democratic and national ideals of the Zionist movement or drift further from them.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
Le Bar The bar at the Four Seasons Hotel George V is essentially the platonic ideal of a hotel bar.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of ideal

Noun

In its previous incarnation as an EV specialist, Tesla could have helped.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Mike Flanagan’s story loosely co-opts the villain origin tale behind many of those incarnations — actor with an ax to grind gains shapeshifting abilities — but otherwise starts more or less from scratch.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of incarnation

Noun

The store was designed by Storage Milano in partnership with Tommasi Bardelle and is a physical manifestation of the brand.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
While invisible themselves, these cosmic behemoths reveal their presence by bending the light of nearby objects, and the Black Hole Hunters project is searching for one specific manifestation of this effect.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of manifestation

Noun

Having lost one daughter, Chrissy sought perfection in her remaining child, ignoring the risks of the modification procedure that have resulted in sickly Josie slowly succumbing to a chronic illness.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Counted in that giddy stretch of unexpected euphoria was actual perfection, a run from August through January without defeat, capped off with, of all ridiculous things, a national championship.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of perfection

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Style

“Exemplar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exemplar. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of exemplar

noun

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