paragon

1 of 2

noun

par·a·gon ˈper-ə-ˌgän

-gən,

ˈpa-rə-

Synonyms of paragon next

: a model of excellence or perfection

was a paragon of goodness

a paragon of a wife

paragon

2 of 2

verb

paragoned; paragoning; paragons

transitive verb

: to compare with : parallel

: to put in rivalry : match

obsolete : surpass

Did you know?

Paragon Has Old Italian and Greek Roots

Paragon derives from the Old Italian word paragone, which literally means "touchstone." A touchstone is a black stone that was formerly used to judge the purity of gold or silver. The metal was rubbed on the stone and the color of the streak it left indicated its quality. In modern English, both touchstone and paragon have come to signify a standard against which something should be judged. Ultimately, paragon comes from the Greek parakonan, meaning "to sharpen," from the prefix para- ("alongside of") and akonē, meaning "whetstone."

Example Sentences

Noun in Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad is depicted as the one knight who is a paragon of virtue

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In Britain, where Mr. Humphries had long made his home, Dame Edna was considered a national treasure, a paragon of performance art long before the term was coined. —

Margalit Fox, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2023 Majors’ public image is the portrait of a man who found the arts as a respite from a turbulent youth who had now evolved into a paragon of professional and physical accomplishment, unafraid to tap into his emotional spectrum. —

Shamira Ibrahim, refinery29.com, 6 Apr. 2023 Where Better Off Ted’s Veridian Dynamics stood as a paragon of corporate greed, Unstable’s Dragon is actively doing good for humanity while also making boatloads of money. —

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Mar. 2023 Products with dreamy-sounding names like Milky Jelly Cleanser, Cloud Paint, and Futuredew have become cult favorites, and the brand’s pleasingly minimalist packaging and highly Instagramable, pink-tinged stores have become paragons of millennial taste. —

Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 17 Feb. 2023 In fact, one of the greatest heroes of the North during the Civil War was (depending on your perspective) either a terrorist, an insurgent, a freedom fighter, a madman, a martyr, or the paragon of a righteous cause. —

Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2022 An adaptation of the beloved musical about a phonetics professor who pompously takes it upon himself to transform a working-class Cockney girl (a marvelous Audrey Hepburn) into a paragon of high society. —

Emily Burack, Town & Country, 26 Jan. 2023 The first official proposal for a federal basic income program, though, came not from a paragon of progressivism, but from Richard Nixon. —

Megan Greenwell, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022 Sweden's application stirs painful questions for many Swedes over whether a paragon of global peacebuilding can also participate in a nuclear-armed alliance. —

WSJ, 23 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paragon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French, from Old Italian paragone, literally, touchstone, from paragonare to test on a touchstone, from Greek parakonan to sharpen, from para- + akonē whetstone, from akē point; akin to Greek akmē point — more at edge

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1548, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of paragon was circa 1548

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