Meaning & use
quintessentially
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Meaning
adverbformal
In a way that is the most perfect or typical example of a particular quality or type.
Grammar: Usually modifies an adjective or a verb: quintessentially English, quintessentially represents.
Patterns
- quintessentially + adjective
- quintessentially + noun
- be quintessentially something
The village is quintessentially English, with a church, a pub, and a green.
Her style is quintessentially modern but still elegant.
That movie is quintessentially American in its optimism.
Common combinations
- quintessentially English
- Afternoon tea is often seen as quintessentially English.
- quintessentially American
- The road trip is a quintessentially American experience.
- quintessentially modern
- The design is quintessentially modern, with clean lines and glass.
- quintessentially human
- Storytelling is a quintessentially human activity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- typically
- Typically means in a usual or expected way; quintessentially is stronger and means in the most perfect or representative way.
- characteristically
- Characteristically points to a typical feature of someone or something; quintessentially suggests the purest example of that feature.
- essentially
- Essentially means basically or fundamentally; quintessentially means in the most typical or perfect form.
Opposites
Word family
- quintessential adjective
- Being the most perfect or typical example of something.
- quintessence noun
- The most perfect or typical example of a quality or type.
Commonly confused: quintessentially or quintisentially?
quintessentially vs quintisentially
This is a common misspelling. The correct spelling is quintessentially, with -ess- in the middle.
Practice
The small café, with its handwritten menu and old wooden tables, feels ______ Parisian.
Choose one answer.
The adverb quintessentially is needed to modify the adjective Parisian. Quintessential is an adjective and cannot modify another adjective here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quintessentially”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.