Paragon

hard

PAIR-uh-gon

noun

Definition

a model of excellence or perfection

Examples

She was held up as a paragon of integrity by everyone in the department.
No leader is a paragon; even the best make blunders.

Synonyms

epitomeexemplaridealmodel

Antonyms

mediocrityimperfectionflawfailure

Categories

GRE Tip

Paragon is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "epitome" or "exemplar" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "mediocrity".

Related GRE Words

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