typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈti-pi-kəl 

1

a

: combining or exhibiting the essential characteristics of a group

typical suburban houses

b

: conforming to a type

a specimen typical of the species

2

: constituting or having the nature of a type : symbolic

typicality

ˌti-pə-ˈka-lə-tē 

noun

typicalness

ˈti-pi-kəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• normal
• average
• standard
• usual
• true

Choose the Right Synonym for typical

regular, normal, typical, natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average.

regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

Examples of typical in a Sentence

It was his typical response.

It was a typical Saturday night for us.

We wanted him to have the typical college experience of living on campus.

Recent Examples on the Web

This means, effectively, that Intel’s management and board were offered billions in capital without the typical market constraints that any shareholder set to become the largest equity holder in the private markets would require. —Andrew King, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025

Hall’s clairvoyant was not your typical fortune teller. —Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2025

To see how confusing this can be, take a look at this report about Amazon’s recent tax liability, a typical example for a big multinational tech firm. —Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Seroussi surveys the history and state of attention to music in Jewish Studies and, in doing so, suggests some of the typical approaches, questions, and tensions that can surround any interdisciplinary project that overlaps with Jewish Studies. —Josh Lambert, JSTOR Daily, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin typicalis, from typicus, from Greek typikos, from typos model — more at type entry 1

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for typical

• atypical
• untypical
• prototypical
• stereotypical

Kids Definition

typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈtip-i-kəl 

: combining or showing the special characteristics of a group or kind

a typical school lunch

typically

-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Medical Definition

typical

adjective

typ·​i·​cal ˈtip-i-kəl 

: conforming to a type

a typical specimen

typical symptoms of a disease