the quintessence
noun
formal
1
: the most important part (of something)
The quintessence of music is the melody.
2
: the perfect example (of something)
He was the quintessence of calm.
Examples of the quintessence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pelosi delivered captured the quintessence of her career, writes Mark Z. Barabak.
—
Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2022
To celebrate the Domaine, Lancôme has introduced a special edition Mille et Une Roses (1001 Roses) fragrance, created by perfumer Louise Turner to capture the quintessence of this glorious and significant flower.
—April Long, Town & Country, 26 Aug. 2022
Dobrik is the quintessence of cute — eager and baby-faced, with big dark puppy eyes and floppy brown hair combed so that it never seems combed.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Mar. 2022
For Dole, extending a hand to a political opponent had become the quintessence of patriotism.
—Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2021
For me, the Velvet Underground has always been the quintessence of Downtown, that shadowland between the financial district and 14th Street in lower Manhattan.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 6 Oct. 2021
But when Tesla bought IPO SolarCity in late 2016, Schuster grabbed the opportunity to jump back into a name that’s the quintessence of Big Momentum.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 July 2021
While 90210 stands as the quintessence of Fox's '90s teen drama brand, another series on the network explored coming-of-age travails in a more artful way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 10 May 2021
Its flavors unfolded in waves with depth, complexity and grace, the quintessence of great Burgundy.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2020
Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2022
To celebrate the Domaine, Lancôme has introduced a special edition Mille et Une Roses (1001 Roses) fragrance, created by perfumer Louise Turner to capture the quintessence of this glorious and significant flower.
—April Long, Town & Country, 26 Aug. 2022
Dobrik is the quintessence of cute — eager and baby-faced, with big dark puppy eyes and floppy brown hair combed so that it never seems combed.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 Mar. 2022
For Dole, extending a hand to a political opponent had become the quintessence of patriotism.
—Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2021
For me, the Velvet Underground has always been the quintessence of Downtown, that shadowland between the financial district and 14th Street in lower Manhattan.
—Kyle Smith, National Review, 6 Oct. 2021
But when Tesla bought IPO SolarCity in late 2016, Schuster grabbed the opportunity to jump back into a name that’s the quintessence of Big Momentum.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 July 2021
While 90210 stands as the quintessence of Fox's '90s teen drama brand, another series on the network explored coming-of-age travails in a more artful way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 10 May 2021
Its flavors unfolded in waves with depth, complexity and grace, the quintessence of great Burgundy.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the quintessence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the quintessence
Cite this Entry
“The quintessence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20quintessence. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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