typical
[adjective]
Synonyms: characteristic, archetypal, average, model, normal, orthodox, representative, standard, stock, usual

---

Antonyms: atypical, untypical
Contrasted words: uncharacteristic, unusual, distinctive, exceptional, extraordinary, abnormal
Related Idioms: being the rule and not the exception
Related Words: characteristic, emblematic, symbolic, absolute, consummate, perfect, old hat, unexceptional, collective, quintessential, representative, specific

---

English Thesaurus: characteristic, quality, feature, property, attribute, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

typ‧i‧cal S2 W2 /ˈtɪpɪkəl/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: type, typology; adjective: typical ≠ atypical, typological; verb: typify; adverb: typically]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: typicalis, from Latin typicus, from Greek typikos, from typos; ⇒ type¹]

1. having the usual features or qualities of a particular group or thing:
typical British weather
typical of
This painting is typical of his work.
This advertisement is a typical example of their marketing strategy.

2. happening in the usual way:
On a typical day, our students go to classes from 7.30 am to 1 pm.
Try calculating your budget for a typical week.

3. behaving in the way that you expect:
Bennett accepted the award with typical modesty.
it is typical of somebody to do something
It’s not typical of Gill to be so critical.
Mr Stevens’ appointment was a typical case of promoting a man beyond his level of competence.

4. typical! spoken used to show that you are annoyed when something bad happens again, or when someone does something bad again

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

typical
adj.
VERBS be, look, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as, take sth as You must not take this attitude as typical of English people.
ADV. extremely, highly, very | absolutely, altogether, entirely, just That's altogether typical of Tom! They're going to be late? Now, isn't that just typical?
by no means, not necessarily East Anglia is by no means typical of rural Britain.
fairly, pretty, quite, rather
PREP. of Julia is fairly typical of her age group.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

typical
adjective
1.
BAD: Angelo took us to a typical restaurant.
GOOD: Angelo took us to a typical Italian restaurant.

Usage Note:
After typical you usually mention the exact group to which someone or something belongs: 'McGarron looked like a typical American car salesman.' 'The old fireplace and the few pieces of typical Basque furniture give the room a homely atmosphere.'

---

2.
BAD: After dinner it is typical to sing carols.
GOOD: After dinner we usually sing carols.
GOOD: After dinner it is customary to sing carols.

Usage Note:
When you are talking about what usually happens at a particular time of the year, use usually or (especially in formal styles) customary : 'It's customary to kiss the bride.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

characteristic something that is typical of someone or something and makes them easy to recognize:
He had several characteristics which made him different to the rest of his family.
the physical characteristics of the brain
He studied the special characteristics of adult speech addressed to children.
quality a characteristic of a person, especially a good one such as kindness or intelligence:
Tina has a lot of good qualities.
I’m not sure about his leadership qualities.
Obedience is a quality that my father admires.
feature an important or interesting characteristic of something:
it seems to be a feature of modern society that we tend to judge ourselves by our work above everything else.
A curious feature of the novel is the absence of women.
The building still has many of its original features.
property [usually plural] technical a characteristic of a substance or object, for example hardness or elasticity, or how it behaves - used especially in scientific contexts:
We examined the physical properties of various metals.
changes in the electrical properties of cells
Some plants have healing properties.
attribute formal a good or useful characteristic:
I suspected I probably did not quite possess all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level.
All living things are able to reproduce their kind, an attribute which no machine possesses..
good/bad points good or bad characteristics – used when someone or something has both good and bad characteristics:
The seller will obviously emphasize the car’s good points.
Draw up a list of your partner’s good and bad points.
typical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing:
With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.
The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
classic used to describe a very typical and very good example of something:
It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.
a classic mistake
The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
archetypal the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities:
the archetypal English village
Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
quintessential used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much:
the quintessential guide to New York
Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
stereotypical having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true:
Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.
He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
representative containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like:
a representative sample of college students
be the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality:
His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

typical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing:
With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.
The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
classic used to describe a very typical and very good example of something:
It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.
a classic mistake
The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
archetypal the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities:
the archetypal English village
Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
quintessential used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much:
the quintessential guide to New York
Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
stereotypical having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true:
Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.
He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
representative containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like:
a representative sample of college students
characteristic very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone’s character or usual behaviour:
Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.
What gives Paris its characteristic charm?
He played with his characteristic skill.
the characteristic symptoms of the disease
be the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality:
His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.
politician someone who works in politics, especially an elected member of the government:
senior politicians
statesman a political or government leader, especially one who is well-respected:
a respected elder statesman
great statesmen like Roosevelt and Churchill
He would later describe the king as ‘one of the most brilliant statesmen I have ever been privileged to meet’.
MP/Member of Parliament in Britain, someone who has been elected to a parliament to represent people from a particular area of the country:
Ken Newton, MP
congressman a man who is a member of a congress, especially the US House of Representatives:
a Republican congressman
congresswoman a woman who is a member of a congress, especially the US House of Representatives:
Mrs McKinney was the state’s first black congresswoman.
senator a member of the senate, especially in the US:
Senator Clinton
mayor someone who has been elected to lead the government of a town or city:
Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of London.
the former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani
spin doctor someone who is used by a political party to influence people’s opinions by cleverly controlling what is reported in the news:
The party spin doctors would like us to believe that the government is committed to improving the environment.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲