epitome

epitome

 
noun|ih-PIT-uh-mee
 
What It Means
 
Epitome means "a perfect example." It is usually used in the phrase "the epitome of," as in "the epitome of elegance."
 
// In his tailored suit and fashionable haircut, he was the very epitome of style.
 
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Examples of EPITOME
 
"The image of Diana standing on a polo field in a white British Lung Foundation sweatshirt is one of the most iconic images of the late princess. Dressed in jeans, a baseball cap, cowboy boots and a blazer over the logo crewneck, Princess Diana—who served as patron of the foundation—looked the epitome of '80s cool." — Kristin Contino, Marie Claire, 27 June 2025
 




 
Did You Know?
 
Epitome first appeared in print in the early 16th century, when it was used to mean "summary." If someone asks you to summarize a long paper, you effectively cut it up, mentioning only the most important ideas. The etymology of epitome reflects this process: it comes from Greek epitemnein, meaning "to cut short." Your summary probably also presents all the key points of the original work, which may explain why epitome eventually came to be used for any person or object that is a clear or good example of an abstraction, as in "the epitome of grace" or "the epitome of health."
 
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Fill in the blanks to complete a noun related to Greek temnein, "to cut," that refers to the structural makeup especially of an organism or any of its parts: _ n a _ o _ y.
 
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epitome
noun
epit·;o·;me i-;pi-t;-m;
Synonyms of epitome
1
: a typical or ideal example : embodiment
the British monarchy itself is the epitome of tradition
—Richard Joseph
2
a
: a summary of a written work
b
: a brief presentation or statement of something
3
: brief or miniature form —usually used with in
epitomic
;e-p;-;t;-mik
 adjective
 or epitomical
;e-p;-;t;-mi-k;l


Did you know?
Epitome Has Greek Roots

Epitome first appeared in print in the early 16th century, when it was used to mean "summary." If someone asks you to summarize a long paper, you effectively cut it up, mentioning only the most important ideas. The etymology of epitome reflects this process: it comes from Greek epitemnein, meaning "to cut short." Your summary probably also presents all the key points of the original work, which may explain why epitome eventually came to be used for any person or object that is a clear or good example of an abstraction, as in "the epitome of grace" or "the epitome of health."

Synonyms
summary
summa
outline
Examples of epitome in a Sentence
Terns, nicknamed sea swallows by fishermen, are superb flying machines, the epitome of beauty on the wing.
—E. Vernon Laux, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2001
Manchester, then known as 'Cottonopolis' and perceived throughout the world as the epitome of the whirling fierceness of the industrial revolution.  …
—Roy Jenkins, Gladstone, (1995) 1997
Hamilton thought the bank was a fait accompli, but he had not reckoned on Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Jefferson, the lover of rural virtues, had a deep, almost visceral hatred of banks, the epitome of all that was urban.
—John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, July/August 1990
I didn't tell him that, at the time, I thought the place to be the epitome of bourgeois comfort; in those days I thought that there was some connection between creative talent and penury.
—Ishmael Reed, "August Wilson," 1987, in Writin' Is Fightin',  1988
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This was an important belief for me because my diet was the epitome of lousy eating habits that included bacon and eggs for breakfast, fast food for lunch, a big slab of meat for dinner, and snacks of all shapes and sizes throughout the day in copious amounts.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 14 Aug. 2025
Attending everything without a strategy is the epitome of wasting your time.
—Colleen Batchelder, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
What reviewers say: This cashmere bodysuit is the epitome of luxury.
—Dory Zayas, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
With an in-house team, private chefs, and access to rare wildlife encounters, this stay is the epitome of African exclusivity.
—Chris Liebenberg, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2025
Word History
Etymology
Latin, from Greek epitom;, from epitemnein to cut short, from epi- + temnein to cut — more at tome

First Known Use
1520, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of epitome was in 1520
See more words from the same year
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