perfect
matching in every detail the definition of an ideal type of something: Even a ball bearing is not a perfect sphere.Your son is a perfect gentleman!
excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement: There is no perfect legal code.The proportions of this temple are almost perfect.
exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose: He is the perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber.I have the perfect saw for cutting out keyholes.
entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings: She chose a perfect apple from the bowl.It was very nearly the perfect crime—next to impossible for detectives to solve.
accurate, exact, or correct in every detail: I’ll email you a perfect copy when revisions are complete.
thorough or complete; absolute; utter: A week ago we were perfect strangers, and already we’ve become friends.He made a perfect fool of himself.
expert; accomplished; proficient: She will need a perfect driving teacher.
pure or unmixed: perfect yellow.
Botany.
having all parts or members present.
Grammar. designating a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state that is or will be complete as of some point of reference in time, and that is thought of with regard to its relevance or effect for that time.
Music.
of or designating the consonances of unison, octave, and fifth, as distinguished from those of the third and sixth. : Compare imperfect (def. 6).
of or designating the intervals, harmonic or melodic, of an octave, fifth, and fourth in their normal form, as opposed to augmented and diminished.
Mathematics. (of a set) equal to its set of accumulation points.
Obsolete. assured or certain.
a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state that is or will be complete as of some point of reference in time, and that is thought of with regard to its relevance or effect for that time.
an instance or form of a verb in this aspect, as in Ihave washedthe dishes, so can I go now? or By the time I arrived theyhad finishedbreakfast.
to bring to perfection; make flawless or faultless: He has succeeded in perfecting his recipe for chicken Kiev.
to bring nearer to perfection; improve; make better: She works hard to perfect her writing.
to make fully skilled.
to bring to completion; finish: Nietzsche believed that the emergence of the Superman would perfect the evolution of the human race.
Printing. to print the reverse of (a printed sheet).
Origin of perfect
1usage note For perfect
Other words for perfect
4 | unblemished; flawless, faultless, picture-perfect |
Other words from perfect
- per·fect·ed·ly, adverb
- per·fect·er, noun
- per·fect·ness, noun
- non·per·fect·ed, adjective
- qua·si-per·fect, adjective
- qua·si-per·fect·ly, adverb
- self-per·fect·ing, adjective
- su·per·per·fect, adjective
- su·per·per·fect·ly, adverb
- un·per·fect, adjective
- un·per·fect·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with perfect
- perfect , prefect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use perfect in a sentence
He would have theoretically been a perfect fit for the Bucks as either a third or fourth option on offense.
The Upsides And Downsides Of The NBA’s Five Biggest Trades So Far | Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com) | November 19, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightAt other times he’d be the perfect fool—a schlemiel, Einstein called him.
When Einstein Tilted at Windmills - Issue 93: Forerunners | Amanda Gefter | November 18, 2020 | NautilusIt’s no secret that machine-learning models tuned and tweaked to near-perfect performance in the lab often fail in real settings.
The way we train AI is fundamentally flawed | Will Heaven | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewIf spending so much time at home has brought out your nesting side, now could be the perfect time to learn to sew!
The best Walmart Cyber Monday deals: The best early deals and sales on TVs, air fryers, gaming consoles, and more | Carla Sosenko | November 12, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWith World Pride right around the corner, I think this is the perfect time for me and Noelle to show out and celebrate because love is love.
Cynthia Bailey Celebrates Her Daughter Noelle’s 21st Birthday | Steven Psyllos | November 11, 2020 | Essence.com
Many expositors think the words which we have rendered Leader and Perfecter refer to Christs own faith.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews | Thomas Charles EdwardsNew associations but reveal a broader agreement, a closer union, a perfecter harmony.
Questionable Amusements and Worthy Substitutes | J. M. JudyI shall love not only the beauty, but also the Giver and Perfecter of it.'
If you refuse a patent to a perfecter of boots, refuse also a privilege to a maker of rhymes.
What is Property? | P. J. ProudhonAnd the perfecter any is, the more he is like-minded unto God.
A Christian Directory (Part 2 of 4) | Richard Baxter
British Dictionary definitions for perfect
having all essential elements
unblemished; faultless: a perfect gemstone
correct or precise: perfect timing
utter or absolute: a perfect stranger
excellent in all respects: a perfect day
maths exactly divisible into equal integral or polynomial roots: 36 is a perfect square
botany
(of flowers) having functional stamens and pistils
(of plants) having all parts present
grammar denoting a tense of verbs used in describing an action that has been completed by the subject. In English this is a compound tense, formed with have or has plus the past participle
music
of or relating to the intervals of the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave
Also: full, final (of a cadence) ending on the tonic chord, giving a feeling of conclusion: Compare imperfect (def. 6)
archaic positive certain, or assured
grammar
the perfect tense
a verb in this tense
to make perfect; improve to one's satisfaction: he is in Paris to perfect his French
to make fully accomplished
printing to print the reverse side of (a printed sheet of paper)
Origin of perfect
1usage For perfect
Derived forms of perfect
- perfectness, noun
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
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