ideal type

American

noun

a construct abstracted from experience in which individual elements are combined to form a whole that is conceptually independent of empirical factors or variables, but against which particular examples of the appropriate class found in life can be measured.

Etymology

Origin of ideal type

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

And Wilson might be the ideal type of player to gamble on in this area.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2023

In her hour-long comedy special, Nicole Byer reminisces over all the craziness spurred by a pandemic-plagued year-plus and jokes about everything from her ideal type to her ambiguous veganism.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2021

Therefore, the ideal type of bureaucracy, the Weberian model, was one in which agencies are apolitical, hierarchically organized, and governed by formal procedures.

From Textbooks • Jul. 28, 2021

He has an idea of his ideal type of project, too.

From The Guardian • Jun. 13, 2020

A number of statues, busts, gems and coins represented Antino�s as the ideal type of youthful beauty, often with the attributes of some special god.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023