Word of the Day

: June 1, 2016

exemplary

adjective ig-ZEM-pluh-ree

What It Means

1 : deserving imitation especially because of excellence : commendable

2 : serving as a warning : monitory

3 : serving as an example, instance, or illustration

exemplary in Context

Members of the community who have demonstrated exemplary public service will be honored at the ceremony.

"Since 1962, Big Blue's Fellows program annually honors exemplary technologists, researchers and scientists within the company." — The Poughkeepsie (New York) Journal, 25 Apr. 2016

Did You Know?

Since the 1500s, exemplary has been used in English for things deserving imitation. The word (and its close relatives example and exemplify) derives from the Latin noun exemplum, which means "example." Usage commentators have sometimes warned against using exemplary as if it were simply a synonym of excellent, but clear-cut instances of such usage are hard to come by. When exemplary describes something excellent, as it often does, it almost always carries the further suggestion that the thing described is worthy of imitation.