Word family noun type typology adjective typical ≠ atypical typological verb typify adverb typically
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtypicaltyp‧i‧cal /ˈtɪpɪkəl/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective 1 TYPICALhaving the usual features or qualities of a particular group or thing typical British weathertypical of This painting is typical of his work. This advertisement is a typical example of their marketing strategy.2 TYPICALhappening 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!THESAURUStypical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thingWith 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 somethingIt was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease. a classic mistakeThe 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 qualitiesthe archetypal English villageIndiana 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 muchthe 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 trueHollywood 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 likea representative sample of college studentscharacteristic very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone’s character or usual behaviourEach 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 diseasebe the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular qualityHis house was thought to be the epitome of good taste. Examples from the Corpus
typical• "Dad forgot to mail the letter." "That's just typical!"• This is typical adolescent behaviour - part of the process of becoming independent from your parents.• a typical American diner, with twangy-voiced waitresses and vinyl booths• Mrs Quilley greeted the guests with typical charm and confidence.• A typical Congress sees about 90,000 remarks between the chambers.• On a typical day, the president receives more than 4,500 letters.• But you know Paster and Richards: typical gunship pilots.• The typical judge loves the rewards of office and tends to be imperious in asserting and defending them.• A typical microcomputer will have 48K or 64K of memory i.e. 48 or 64 Kilobytes or 48,000 bytes.• "Is there a typical New York breakfast?" "Bagels and coffee."• This painting is typical of Manet's portraits of Morisot - a beautiful woman, gazing sadly out at the viewer.• Lane and Roberts do not claim that the strike was typical of other strikes.• It's typical of Ramon to waste time when he knows we're already late.• The typical prisoner of nightmare, he could neither shout nor move.• Kim's a typical teenager - she doesn't want anything to do with her parents.• With his shorts and camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.typical of• It's typical of Craig not to notice my new dress.• This painting is fairly typical of his early work.typical day• A 1926 survey showed 13,446 passengers arriving at Charing Cross Station between 7 and 10 a.m. on a typical day.• The thirtieth of June was a fairly typical day.• A typical day at the office.• In this chapter we are able to witness a typical day in its life.• A typical day includes offering information to dozens of tourists and picking up litter.• Some brand managers joke that after a typical day on the job, they are too full to eat dinner at home.• Into a typical day they fit caring for their children, working in the house and working for a wage.typical case• I mention him simply because his was a typical case.• The Ministry of Posts, he says, was a typical case.• Dash Riprock was an excellent and typical case in point.• One of the ongoing partisan battles over spending led to a typical case of gridlock as the legislative session ended last month.• Siphoning money abroad in this way is a typical case to which the new legislation must have been intended to apply.• A typical case was that of an arc welding operation.• The international automobile industry is a typical case where shortening the product development lead time is recognized as a valuable competitive weapon.• A second typical case would be a civil action suit which will probably move slowly and take two to three years.typical!typical!spokenANNOYTYPICAL used to show that you are annoyed when something bad happens again, or when someone does something bad again → typicalExamples from the Corpus
typical!• What? Amber didn't show up again? Typical.Origin typical (1600-1700) Medieval Latin typicalis, from Latin typicus, from Greek typikos, from typos; → TYPE1 