Definition

1. Adverb:
   • To a degree of excellence; being the best or most typical example of its kind: Used after a noun to indicate that the person or thing mentioned is the supreme or most outstanding example of that category.

Usage

• The phrase par excellence is used postpositively, meaning it is placed after the noun it modifies. It is not used before a noun.
• It is often used to single out one example as the best or most definitive among others of the same type.
• It is a formal term borrowed from French.

Examples

• Adverb:
  • He is a scholar par excellence. (He is an outstanding scholar, the very best example of a scholar.)
  • This restaurant is the Italian bistro par excellence in our city. (It is considered the finest and most authentic example of an Italian bistro here.)
  • She is a diplomat par excellence. (She embodies the qualities of an excellent diplomat to the highest degree.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can sometimes be used with a slightly ironic or hyperbolic tone, though it generally conveys genuine praise.
  • He is a procrastinator par excellence, always leaving everything until the last possible minute. (Here, it humorously emphasizes he is the ultimate example of a procrastinator.)

Variants and Related Words

• Preeminent (adj): Surpassing all others; very distinguished in some way. ()
• Quintessential (adj): Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. ()
• Archetypal (adj): Very typical of a certain kind of person or thing. ()

Synonyms

• Preeminently
• Supremely
• Unsurpassedly
• Outstandingly

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• While par excellence itself is a fixed phrase, it functions similarly to English superlative idioms like:
  • The best of the best
  • In a class of its own
  • Without equal

Adverb

1. to a degree of excellence
   • he is the honest politician par excellence