consummate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill.
- Synonyms:
- achieve, accomplish, finish, perfect, complete
-
to complete (an arrangement, agreement, or the like) by a pledge or the signing of a contract.
The company consummated its deal to buy a smaller firm.
-
to complete (the union of a marriage) by the first marital sexual intercourse.
adjective
-
complete or perfect; supremely skilled; superb.
a consummate master of the violin.
- Antonyms:
- unfinished, imperfect
-
being of the highest or most extreme degree.
a work of consummate skill; an act of consummate savagery.
verb
-
to bring to completion or perfection; fulfil
-
to complete (a marriage) legally by sexual intercourse
adjective
-
accomplished or supremely skilled
a consummate artist
-
(prenominal) (intensifier)
a consummate fool
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consummate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (adjective), from Latin consummātus “completed,” past participle of consummāre “to complete, bring to perfection,” from con- con- + summ(a) sum + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
Consummate means complete, finished, or masterful. If you refer to someone as a consummate chef, then you are saying he is the ultimate chef. If you say someone is a consummate jerk, then you are saying he is the ultimate jerk. Consummate can be used to describe something good or bad: consummate joy, a consummate liar. To consummate means to bring something to completion, but it often refers specifically to making a marriage complete by having sexual relations. The adjective is pronounced KÄN-sə-mit, but the verb is pronounced KÄN-sə-māt.
Vocabulary lists containing consummate
The Book Thief
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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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.
Forty-five years old, tall and strikingly handsome, Sumner was the consummate New England intellectual: widely traveled, deeply versed in classics and the law, and staunchly committed to the cause of African-Americans.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Mueller is a "consummate professional and a straight shooter," then-FBI chief Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, said in July 2019.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
And this was a consummate display, cool and measured with a ruthless edge, even if it came against this dreadfully poor Spurs side.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
Not that that would be a tough thing to ascertain in the first place, given Poehler’s consummate preparation.
From Salon • Jan. 16, 2026
Monge was a consummate geometer, specializing in three-dimensional geometry.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
