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canonical

Meaning in simple English, pronunciation and examples

Pronunciation: US /kəˈnɑnɪkəl/ · UK /kəˈnɒnɪkəl/

canonical means: Included in a collection of writings or works officially accepted by a religion or other group.

adjective

ACCEPTED COLLECTIONC1

Included in a collection of writings or works officially accepted by a religion or other group.

  • These are canonical religious texts.
  • The church accepts this letter as canonical scripture.
  • Her course covers canonical works of English literature.

Opposites: noncanonical

Common phrases: canonical texts, canonical books, canonical gospel

STANDARD BASIC FORMC2

Expressed in a standard, basic form that is easy to use or compare.

  • Write the equation in canonical form.
  • The program converts each address to a canonical format.
  • Canonical representations make these two expressions easier to compare.

Similar words: standard, normalized

Common phrases: canonical form, canonical representation, canonical format

ACCEPTED RULESC2

Following the rules or practices that people officially or traditionally accept.

  • They followed the canonical procedure.
  • His approach departed from canonical practice.
  • The committee insisted on a canonical interpretation of the rules.

Similar words: orthodox, conventional

Opposites: unorthodox

Common phrases: canonical rules, canonical practice, canonical procedure

TYPICAL EXAMPLEC2

Being the clearest or most typical example of a particular kind of thing.

  • This is a canonical example of teamwork.
  • The textbook presents a canonical case of market failure.
  • Researchers often use this bird as the canonical example of migration.

Similar words: typical, prototypical, classic

Opposites: atypical

Common phrases: canonical example, canonical case, canonical model

noun

STANDARD WEB ADDRESSC2

A web address written in the standard form used to identify a page.

  • The page has the wrong canonical.
  • Set a canonical for each product page.
  • These duplicate pages all point to the same canonical.

Similar words: canonical URL

Common phrases: page canonical, correct canonical, canonical for something

PRIEST’S ROBESC2

Formal clothes worn by a priest, usually referred to in the plural.

  • The priest wore his canonicals.
  • He changed into his canonicals before the service.
  • The bishop’s canonicals were stored in a wooden chest.

Similar words: vestments, clerical robes

Common phrases: a priest’s canonical, formal canonical

Questions about canonical

What does canonical mean?

Included in a collection of writings or works officially accepted by a religion or other group.

What is canonical in other languages?

Türkçe: kanonik · Español: canónico · Français: canonique · Deutsch: kanonisch · Italiano: canonico · 日本語: 正典の

How do you pronounce canonical?

In American English /kəˈnɑnɪkəl/; in British English /kəˈnɒnɪkəl/.

How do you use canonical in a sentence?

These are canonical religious texts. The church accepts this letter as canonical scripture.

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