canonical
3 synonyms and 2 antonyms for canonical, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Officially recognised as part of a canon, especially a religious one.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adj
Officially recognised as part of a canon, especially a religious one.
“The Gospel of Luke is a canonical New Testament book.”
2. adj
Following the accepted, standard rules for something.
“The men played golf in the most canonical way, with no local rules.”
Opposites
3. adj
In its simplest, most standard form.
“the reduction of a linear substitution to its canonical form”
Opposites
Etymology
From Middle English canonycal, from Medieval Latin canōnicālis. By surface analysis, canon + -ical.
Full origin of canonical →