ideal
[ahy-dee-uh l, ahy-deel]
- a conception of something in its perfection.
- a standard of perfection or excellence.
- a person or thing conceived as embodying such a conception or conforming to such a standard, and taken as a model for imitation: Thomas Jefferson was his ideal.
- an ultimate object or aim of endeavor, especially one of high or noble character: He refuses to compromise any of his ideals.
- something that exists only in the imagination: To achieve the ideal is almost hopeless.
- Mathematics. a subring of a ring, any element of which when multiplied by any element of the ring results in an element of the subring.
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- conceived as constituting a standard of perfection or excellence: ideal beauty.
- regarded as perfect of its kind: an ideal spot for a home.
- existing only in the imagination; not real or actual: Nature is real; beauty is ideal.
- advantageous; excellent; best: It would be ideal if she could accompany us as she knows the way.
- based upon an ideal or ideals: the ideal theory of numbers.
- Philosophy.
- pertaining to a possible state of affairs considered as highly desirable.
- pertaining to or of the nature of idealism.
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Origin of ideal
Synonyms
See more synonyms for ideal on Thesaurus.com1, 2. epitome. 4. intention, objective. 7. perfect, consummate, complete. 9. illusory, imaginary, fanciful, fantastic.
Synonym study
1, 2. Ideal, example, model refer to something considered as a standard to strive toward or something considered worthy of imitation. An ideal is a concept or standard of perfection, existing merely as an image in the mind, or based upon a person or upon conduct: We admire the high ideals of a religious person. Sir Philip Sidney was considered the ideal in gentlemanly conduct. An example is a person or the conduct or achievements of a person regarded as worthy of being followed or imitated in a general way; or sometimes, as properly to be avoided: an example of courage; a bad example to one's children. A model is primarily a physical shape to be closely copied, but is also a pattern for exact imitation in conduct or character: They took their leader as a model.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ideal
Contemporary Examples
White and Crandall agree that low-intensity workouts are ideal.
The land at Easter Elchies was the ideal place for Reid to set up his business.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By WhiskeyDecember 10, 2014
I reached out with heartfelt pleas, and spoke to people that I felt were ideal—and I was right in most cases.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave ChappelleMarlow Stern
December 6, 2014
The problem comes at this point because the liquid loses its potency within an hour even in ideal conditions.
If I said “refugees,” that stood for the ideal of everything I did when I ran for president.
Wyclef Jean Talks Lauryn Hill, the Yele Haiti Controversy, and Chris ChristieMarlow Stern
November 20, 2014
Historical Examples
He was not by any means an ideal monk, but he was equally far from being a scandal.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
And this ideal of equality and individuality was fixed in the American mind.
'Tis Sixty Years SinceCharles Francis Adams
The ideal, or even my own ideal, I shall probably not attain.
It is a thought, an ideal, which has led to an entirely new line of action.
He knew something of horses, and this bay fitted into his dreams of an ideal perfectly.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
ideal
- a conception of something that is perfect, esp that which one seeks to attain
- a person or thing considered to represent perfectionhe's her ideal
- something existing only as an idea
- a pattern or model, esp of ethical behaviour
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- conforming to an ideal
- of, involving, or existing in the form of an idea
- philosophy
- of or relating to a highly desirable and possible state of affairs
- of or relating to idealism
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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
Word Origin and History for ideal
adj.
early 15c., "pertaining to an archetype or model," from Late Latin idealis "existing in idea," from Latin idea in the Platonic sense (see idea). Sense of "perfect" first recorded 1610s.
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n.
"perfect person or thing," 1796, in a translation of Kant, from ideal (adj.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ideal
(ī-dē′əl, ī-dēl′)- A conception of something in its absolute perfection.
- One that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.