Quintessential \Quin`tes*sen"tial\, a.
   Of the nature of a quintessence; purest; most characteristic.
   "Quintessential extract of mediocrity." --G. Eliot.
   [1913 Webster] Quintet

	

	quintessential
     adj : representing the perfect example of a class or quality

	

	86 Moby Thesaurus words for "quintessential":
   appropriate, archetypal, archetypical, best, bottom, champion,
   characteristic, choice, classic, classical, consummate, developed,
   distinctive, distinguished, distinguishing, elect, elite,
   essential, essentiality, exemplary, expert, finished, for the best,
   fully developed, greatest, handpicked, ideal, idiocratic,
   idiosyncratic, in character, intrinsic, marked, marrow, masterful,
   masterly, matchless, mature, matured, model, natural, naturalistic,
   normal, optimal, optimum, paramount, peculiar, peerless, perfected,
   picked, pith, polished, prime, prize, proficient, proper,
   prototypal, pure, quintessence, realistic, refined, regular,
   representative, ripe, ripened, sample, select, single, singular,
   soul, stuff, substance, supreme, surpassing, true to form,
   true to type, typal, typic, typical, unique, unmatchable,
   unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, usual, very best,
   virtuality