quintessentially

English

WOTD – 19 February 2007

Etymology

From quintessential +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəli/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Adverb

quintessentially (not comparable)

  1. In a manner that is typical or characteristic of a thing's nature.
    • 1985 September 15, Erik Snadberg-Diment, “Number Crunching on the Macintosh”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      The program's most quintessentially Macintoshian feature, one as yet unique among spreadsheets, is its icon bar, which resides at the top of the screen just below the standard menu bar.
    • 1994, Christopher Bulis, “ch XXIII”, in State of Change, page 237:
      Peri handed Ptolemy his helmet. It had a crest on it, which she always thought looked quintessentially Roman.

Synonyms