object lesson

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noun

a practical or concrete illustration of a principle.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of object lesson

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby object lesson

objectivity, objectivize, object language, object lens, objectless, object lesson, object linking and embedding, object-oriented, object-oriented programming, object program, object relations theory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use object lesson in a sentence

In many ways, the distribution of the CTC is offering an object lesson in the obstacles America faces when helping its poorest citizens.
These Children Are U.S. Citizens. They Need Help, But They Can't Get the Child Tax Credit|Belinda Luscombe|September 20, 2021|Time
But his lumbering lurch toward the Ted Cruz tin-foil-hat convention should instead be an object lesson for Republicans to come.
Will the GOP Get the Message in Kansas?|Ana Marie Cox|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“An object lesson in responsibility and kindness,” thinks her father.
American Dreams: A Best-Selling Pint-Sized Psychopath|Nathaniel Rich|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The past president serves as both an unlikely inspiration and negative object lesson to the current effort.
Immigration Reform Proposal Shows Similar Ideas Betweeen Bush and Obama|John Avlon|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Now, Texas is the object of economic envy and California is the object lesson, the toxic state.
Toxic State Syndrome: As California Declines, Texas Rises|Tom Gray|September 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the country is also an object lesson in the potential global impact of our interminable culture wars.
How a GOP Win Could Spell the End of Reproductive Health for Global Women|Michelle Goldberg|February 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Every time he is dressed, or sees his mother dress, he has an object-lesson in symmetrical arrangement.
Children's Ways|James Sully
A more ghastly sight, or an object-lesson of more potency, could scarcely be imagined.
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
Now he was up and about, cheerful and sunny, but a serious object lesson to the lion hunters bound for the lair of the lion.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
An incubator about hatching time is a wonderful object lesson in teaching the story of life.
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
Meanwhile, among the German people the object lesson of the Italian war had greatly stimulated the sentiment of national unity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for object lesson

object lesson

noun

a convincing demonstration of some principle or ideal

(esp formerly) a lesson in which a material object forms the basis of the teaching and is available to be inspected

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

object lesson

Origin of object lesson

Words nearby object lesson

Words related to object lesson

How to use object lesson in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for object lesson