canon
noun
Simple meaning
A set of rules or a list of accepted works or books
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kanuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkænən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
A generally accepted principle; a rule.
The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.
A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
A complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
A formally codified set of criteria deemed mandatory for a particular artistic style of figurative art.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
Used this way, canon is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in literature or storytelling contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Literature/storytelling
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use canon
- “The neoclassical canon.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Appearing in a biblical canon.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church.
A canon in which the entrances of successive parts were indicated by cryptic symbols and devices (popular in the 15th and 16th centuries).
A canon in which the entrances of successive parts were indicated by cryptic symbols and devices (popular in the 15th and 16th centuries).
A canon in which the entrances of successive parts were indicated by cryptic symbols and devices (popular in the 15th and 16th centuries).
An Augustinian monastic order.
A canon in which the entrances of successive parts were indicated by cryptic symbols and devices (popular in the 15th and 16th centuries).
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “canon” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.