ideally
AmericanEtymology
Origin of ideally
Explanation
Use the adverb ideally to mean "perfectly" or "preferably." Ideally, you would always be ideally positioned to get a clear view of the parade going by — and not stuck behind a tall man in a top hat. You can start a sentence off with this word to convey the idea of "in a perfect world." For example, you might say, "Ideally, I'd be able to sleep in until at least ten every morning." The other way to use it is as a synonym for "perfectly," as in "My cat and I are ideally suited for each other" or "The vanilla ice cream complemented my apple pie."
Vocabulary lists containing ideally
Alice Austen Lived Here
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Popcorn
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The House Swap
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ideally, you want income that exceeds inflation, which is currently running around 3%.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Ideally, insurers would be doing this on my behalf, but they have a perverse incentive.
From Slate • Apr. 25, 2026
Ideally, Beckwith said, there would have been 10 staffers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Ideally, we take those familial lessons to the workplace.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Ideally, this value should be infinite, but when it can’t be, let’s hold the saccharine sentiments.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
