ideal

[ ahy-dee-uhl, ahy-deel ]

/ aɪˈdi əl, aɪˈdil /

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See synonyms for: ideal / ideals on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

adjective

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR ideal

1, 2 epitome.

4 intention, objective.

7 perfect, consummate, complete.

9 illusory, imaginary, fanciful, fantastic.

See synonyms for ideal on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of ideal

From the Late Latin word ideālis, dating back to 1605–15. See idea, -al¹

synonym study for ideal

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM ideal

i·de·al·ness, nounqua·si-i·de·al, adjectivequa·si-i·de·al·ly, adverbsub·i·de·al, adjective, noun

su·per·i·de·al, adjective, nounsu·per·i·de·al·ly, adverbun·i·de·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ideal in a sentence

A soldier in the service of ideals and aspirations that formed his core.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Could he have won the White House in 1992, and if he had, would he have lived up to his ideals?
President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion|Jonathan Alter|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But even they should see the marches as expressions of our best and highest ideals.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Soon enough, Castro turned his back on those ideals, embracing Soviet style communism.
Cuba Is A Kleptocracy, Not Communist|Romina Ruiz-Goiriena|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A minimum wage is consistent with conservative ideals, for four reasons.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage|Dmitri Mehlhorn|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In practice one party seems about as bad as the other, but at least the Democratic ideals more nearly correspond with my own.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
God knows, all that we have now are a bitter disappointment to those of us with any of the old ideals left.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Mrs. Wheaton, for all her petty airs and evil-scenting profile, was really a woman of high ideals.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
A stream never rises above its source, nor a home above the ideals of its founders.
The value of a praying mother|Isabel C. Byrum
The poems inspired by the love of the ancient ideals and literature of Provence are very beautiful.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer

British Dictionary definitions for ideal

ideal

/ (aɪˈdɪəl) /

noun

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

adjective

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

Derived forms of ideal

ideality (ˌaɪdɪˈælɪtɪ), nounideally, adverbidealness, noun

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

Medical definitions for ideal

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.

ideal

OTHER WORDS FOR ideal

Origin of ideal

synonym study for ideal

OTHER WORDS FROM ideal

Words related to ideal

How to use ideal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ideal

Derived forms of ideal

Medical definitions for ideal