Paragon
n.capable, thoughtfulformal
What it means
A person or thing regarded as an exemplary model of a particular excellence.
Reach for it when holding someone up as an unusually complete example of a valued quality
The mediator was a paragon of fairness even when the room grew tense.
Choose between these
6- playful
for the benchmark against which other examples are judged
not when Gold standard can sound corporate and commonly refers to methods or products.
- warm
shining example
to praise a visible, inspiring instance in accessible language
not when The phrase is openly celebratory and less concise than paragon.
- professional
when others can learn from a strong example
not when Model is neutral in degree and can refer to a simplified representation.
- formal
epitome
if someone seems to embody the defining qualities of a type
not when Epitome means the most typical embodiment, which is not always morally excellent.
- formal
for a representative example worthy of imitation
not when Exemplar is scholarly and may describe a specimen rather than a person.
- literary
when the example embodies a standard almost perfectly
not when Ideal can be abstract or imagined, whereas a paragon is usually actual.
Said against
3- disgrace
- failure
- warning
It naturally appears in
3- paragon of virtue
The novel initially presents its mayor as a paragon of virtue.
- paragon of patience
Our instructor was a paragon of patience with every first attempt.
- considered a paragon
The workshop was considered a paragon of accessible public design.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun sense: a model of excellence opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.