paragon
n. countablen. a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular good quality. You use this to describe someone who is the best at something, like being very kind or honest.
n. a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality; a model of excellence or perfection. Often used in the construction 'a paragon of [virtue/beauty/patience]'.
She is a paragon of patience and kindness.
The local community center is often cited as a paragon of efficiency, managing hundreds of volunteers with a very small budget.
In his latest novel, the protagonist is presented not as a flawed human, but as a paragon of stoic virtue, which some critics found unrealistic.
From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē, “whetstone”), from Ancient Greek παρακονάω (parakonáō, “I sharpen, whet”), from παρά (pará) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).
Commonly followed by the preposition 'of' and an abstract noun representing a positive quality.