canonical
adjective
ca·non·i·cal
kə-ˈnä-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or forming a canon
canonical scriptures
2
: conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure : orthodox
His proposals were generally accepted as canonical.
3
: of or relating to a clergyman who is a canon
4
: reduced to the canonical form
a canonical matrix
Examples of canonical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Well, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is the canonical example.
—
Choire Sicha, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
And now that the legend Cynthia Erivo will be adding her performance to a history of Wicked Witches of the West, now is the time to really lean into the fact that Elphaba is canonical lesbian lore.
—Them, 9 Oct. 2024
That’s the sort of canonical foresight the Black List has had since first launching in 2005 as Hollywood insiders’ go-to index of screenwriters.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
The Brussels curators were as shamelessly European in their selections as the Met’s were doggedly international, featuring a group of largely canonical names and classifying their creations by motif: the forest, the labyrinth, and so on.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canonical 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Choire Sicha, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
And now that the legend Cynthia Erivo will be adding her performance to a history of Wicked Witches of the West, now is the time to really lean into the fact that Elphaba is canonical lesbian lore.
—Them, 9 Oct. 2024
That’s the sort of canonical foresight the Black List has had since first launching in 2005 as Hollywood insiders’ go-to index of screenwriters.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
The Brussels curators were as shamelessly European in their selections as the Met’s were doggedly international, featuring a group of largely canonical names and classifying their creations by motif: the forest, the labyrinth, and so on.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canonical
Dictionary Entries Near canonical
Cite this Entry
“Canonical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonical. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canonical
adjective
ca·non·i·cal
kə-ˈnän-i-kəl
1
: relating to or allowed by church law
2
: following a general rule or accepted procedure
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share