What does exemplifying mean?
'Exemplifying' is the present participle of the verb 'exemplify', which carries two closely related meanings: to serve as a typical or outstanding instance of a quality, class, or idea, and to make something clearer by supplying a concrete example of it. A judge praising a volunteer might say she is exemplifying community spirit, while a teacher exemplifying a grammatical rule would illustrate it with sample sentences. The word belongs largely to formal registers — academic prose, journalism, awards citations, and legal or technical writing — where precision about what a case demonstrates matters. It carries a broadly positive connotation when used in the first sense, implying that whatever is being described sets a standard worth following. Its roots lie in the Latin 'exemplum', meaning a sample or model, which also gives English 'example', 'exemplar', and 'exemplary'. For writers seeking a more authoritative alternative to 'showing' or 'illustrating', 'exemplifying' signals that the subject does not merely accompany a point but defines it.
verbThe present participle of exemplify: to serve as a typical example of something, or to illustrate a point by giving an example of it.
- To be a typical or ideal example of a quality, type, or idea.
- To illustrate or clarify something by providing an example of it.
"Her tireless charity work is exemplifying the values the award was created to honour."
"The architect's latest building is exemplifying a new commitment to sustainable design."
"In her lecture, she spent several minutes exemplifying the rule with cases drawn from real contracts."
Hidden inside 'exemplifying' is 'exemplar' — Latin for a sample kept in hand — so every time you exemplify something, you are literally holding up a model for others to copy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exemplifying
'Exemplifying' derives from the verb 'exemplify', formed in late Middle English from Old French 'exemplifier', itself built on Latin 'exemplum', meaning a sample, pattern, or model. That noun comes from 'eximere', 'to take out', so an example was originally something taken out as a specimen. The same Latin root produced 'example', 'exemplar', and 'exemplary', all of which entered English through French during the medieval and early modern periods. The verb has carried its two senses — illustrating by example and embodying a type — since at least the early modern era.
Related word forms
How exemplifying is actually used
'Exemplifying' is formal to neutral in register and appears most often in academic writing, criticism, and official commendations rather than casual speech. In everyday conversation, speakers tend to prefer 'showing' or 'illustrating'. The verb takes either a direct object ('exemplifying courage') or a clause introduced by 'how' or 'by' ('exemplifying how the process works').
Easily confused with exemplifying
Amplifying means making something larger or louder; exemplifying means serving as an illustration or typical instance of it.