MEANING
To provide or serve as an example that illustrates a quality, idea, or pattern.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- exemplify a principle
- exemplify a problem
On the page
The exchange exemplified the family’s habit of turning questions into accusations.
Her careful revision exemplified the restraint the essay advocated.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- exemplify
- Past tense
- exemplified
- Past participle
- exemplified
- Present participle
- exemplifying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- exemplify
- Present continuous
- am/is/are exemplifying
- Present perfect
- have/has exemplified
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been exemplifying
- Past
- exemplified
- Past continuous
- was/were exemplifying
- Past perfect
- had exemplified
- Past perfect continuous
- had been exemplifying
- Future
- will exemplify
- Future continuous
- will be exemplifying
- Future perfect
- will have exemplified
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been exemplifying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: exemplify; exemplifies; exemplified; exemplified; exemplifying Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: exemplifies.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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