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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Popcorn
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The House Swap
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious-disease expert, said people should aim to get the shot ideally before mid-October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Hospitality has always had scaffolding beneath it; ideally, the guest simply doesn’t spend much time looking at it.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Before the building work started, the general was said to have rolled large boulders found at the summit - and ideally suit for construction - downhill.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Kicking off Apple’s product event last Wednesday, Ternus described the iPhone as an “intelligent personal hub” that is ideally engineered to deliver AI experiences of the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
That’s one of the reasons a writer should mutter, mumble, or orate a draft of his prose to himself, ideally after enough time has elapsed that it is no longer familiar.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
