[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

quintessential \quin`tessen"tial\, a.
   of the nature of a quintessence; purest; most characteristic.
   "quintessential extract of mediocrity." --g. eliot.
   1913 webster quintet

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

quintessential
     adj : representing the perfect example of a class or quality

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

86 moby thesaurus words for "quintessential":
   appropriate, archetypal, archetypical, best, bottom, champion,
   characteristic, choice, classic, classical, consummate, developed,
   distinctive, distinguished, distinguishing, elect, elite,
   essential, essentiality, exemplary, expert, finished, for the best,
   fully developed, greatest, handpicked, ideal, idiocratic,
   idiosyncratic, in character, intrinsic, marked, marrow, masterful,
   masterly, matchless, mature, matured, model, natural, naturalistic,
   normal, optimal, optimum, paramount, peculiar, peerless, perfected,
   picked, pith, polished, prime, prize, proficient, proper,
   prototypal, pure, quintessence, realistic, refined, regular,
   representative, ripe, ripened, sample, select, single, singular,
   soul, stuff, substance, supreme, surpassing, true to form,
   true to type, typal, typic, typical, unique, unmatchable,
   unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, usual, very best,
   virtuality

Quintessential >> Q Words
Quintessential, definition of term: Quintessential
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