Having the most perfect nature of something eg Pele was the quintessential footballer in other words Pele had the purest and most perfect football skill. The word is from the Latin quinta essentia , the fifth essense, which apart from fire, earth, air and water was once thought to make up any substance.
typical
That photograph caught a quintessential moment in our nation's hsitory.
No the word quintessential is not a noun. It is an adjective.
Beyond our solar system, the heavens are made up of only quintessential elements.
Quintessential Quidnunc
"Quintessential" is an adjective that describes the perfect example of a particular type, The quintessential quarterback would be one who has all of the traits and qualities those who are knowledgeable about football would expect from a quarterback. There are quintessential villains and heroes. It could be that "quintessential" is generally used to describe people, but that may not be necessarily true.
There are multiple synonyms for the word quintessential. Some options include capital, flawless, ideal, master and superior, paramount, perfect and ranking.
A few possible synonyms for 'iconic' could be quintessential, archetypal or epochal. These mean important or significant or the perfect embodiment of something.
If you are looking for a word which means 'a perfect example of a group or character', the word is quintessential.
Quintessential Vocal Ensemble was created in 1993.
The quintessential ingredient in cake is flour.
Her comportment throughout the ordeal displayed a quintessential bravery.