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Definition of "object lesson" []

  • A concrete illustration of a moral or principle. (noun)
  • A lesson taught by using a material object. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "object lesson" in a sentence
  • "Despite the object lesson Scipio Aemilianus had made out of Numantia, the tribes of Spain continued to resist Roman occupation by ambush, raid, assassination, and devastation of property."
  • "The way she handled this difficult situation was an object lesson in charm, and in no time at all she had got this vast ballroomful of people nestling cozily in the hollow of her hand."