Paragon

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.

• playful

  gold standard

  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

  model

  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

  exemplar

  for a representative example worthy of imitation

  not when Exemplar is scholarly and may describe a specimen rather than a person.

• literary

  ideal

  when the example embodies a standard almost perfectly

  not when Ideal can be abstract or imagined, whereas a paragon is usually actual.

• disgrace
• failure
• warning

• 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.