Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CANONICAL
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English is rich with words that shine a holy light on everyday things.
(Source)
In its oldest and strictest sense, a canon is a law laid down by the church. More generally, it's a rule or principle that people are expected to follow, or a standard of judgment. And the canon is any set of standards that everyone is supposed to follow, or any group of texts or other materials that most people agree are traditional and authoritative.
Part of speech:
To strike a tone that's formal and reverent, and to emphasize how certain things do (or don't) belong to a group of authoritative material, call them "canonical" (or "uncanonical").
"This is the eighth mainline Yakuza game... This game is a canonical sequel, with occasional recurring characters and references that fans will appreciate."
Explain the meaning of "canonical" without saying "authoritative" or "officially recognized."
When you think of a genre of fiction or music that you enjoy, what classic example comes to mind first?
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
The precise opposite of CANONICAL is UNCANONICAL. But some pretty close opposites of CANONICAL are
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