paragon · noun — A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others. It carries an Arena rating of 1972, earned across 77 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, paragon ranks #81 of 43,042 for Qualifying, #469 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #912 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #1,497 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
paragon is pronounced /ˈpæɹəɡən/.
Why “paragon” is a great word
A perfect model or pattern of excellence against which all others are judged. Its lineage travels from Middle French paragon, from Old Italian paragone (“touchstone”), from paragonare (“to test on a touchstone”), perhaps from Ancient Greek παρακονᾶν (parakonân, “to sharpen, whet”), from παρά- (pará-) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone”), first attested in English in the 1540s. Unlike “epitome,” which distills a quality into a compact essence, or “archetype,” which points to a primordial, universal form, a paragon is the present, breathing standard of supreme quality to be rivaled. It is the flawless diamond that reveals every flaw in lesser stones, the master’s signature on a completed sonata, the friend whose integrity makes your own small compromises visible—a perpetual and weighty presence of realized excellence, quietly demanding not worship but emulation, and in that demand, revealing how much work perfection still requires.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French paragon, paragone, from Old Italian paragone, from paragonare (“to test on a touchstone”), perhaps from Ancient Greek παρακονᾶν (parakonân, “to sharpen, whet”), from παρά- (pará-) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone, sharpening stone”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “point, edge”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).
noun
- A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.e.g.“In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.”
- A companion; a match; an equal.e.g.“Philoclea, who indeed had no paragon but her sister” — a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: [
- Comparison; competition.e.g.“good by paragone / Of euill, may more notably be rad, / As white seemes fairer, macht with blacke attone […].” — 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
- A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.
verb
- To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.e.g.“for want of a bigger , to paragon the little one with Artesia's length” — a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: [
- To compare with; to equal; to rival.e.g.“Few or none could for Feature paragon with her, and much less excel her.” — 1612–1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], translated by Thomas Shelton, The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount an
- To serve as a model for; to surpass.e.g.“He hath achieved a maid / That paragons description and wild fame.” — c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iagg
- To be equal; to hold comparison.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- paragonless 68% match — Without a paragon. vs paragon →
- paradigm 65% match — A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework. vs paragon →
- paradigmatize 60% match — To set forth as a model or example. vs paragon →
- peerless 57% match — Without peer or equal; unparalleled, nonpareil. Of the highest quality, best. vs paragon →
- nonpareil 57% match — Unequalled, unrivalled; unique. vs paragon →
- paregmenon 55% match — The juxtaposition of words that have the same roots; using cognate words together, such as "curvaceous curves", "my loving and beloved wife", or "he's a manly man". vs paragon →
- exemplar 55% match — Something fit to be imitated; an ideal, a worthy model or role model: a desirable example. vs paragon →
- parage 55% match — Lineage, parentage; rank, especially as high or noble. vs paragon →