Synonyms for specimen
- noun
Most common
Definitions
- n. 1
An individual instance that represents a class; an example.
a specimen of my own handwriting
Related words
- Word family
- species
- Phrases
- type specimen
Forms
- Plural
- specimens → samples, types, exemplars, patterns…
Choose the right word
From its original sense of sample or specimen (L. exemplum) example derives the seemingly contradictory meanings, on the one hand of a pattern or model, and on the other hand of a warning--a sample or specimen of what is to be followed, or of what is to be shunned.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- individual An individual is the smallest unit of the society.
- sample We would now like to have some sample flashlights.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| specimen | falling | |
| individual | steady | |
| sample | falling | |
| exemplar | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- type1, copy2
- 5 letters
- model2
- 6 letters
- sample2
- 7 letters
- example3, pattern2
- 8 letters
- instance2, exponent3, exemplar3
- 10 letters
- individual5
- 12 letters
- illustration4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (copy2 = 2 syllables).