perfect
Americanadjective
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matching in every detail the definition of an ideal type of something.
Even a ball bearing is not a perfect sphere.
Your son is a perfect gentleman!
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excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.
There is no perfect legal code.
The proportions of this temple are almost perfect.
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exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.
He is the perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber.
I have the perfect saw for cutting out keyholes.
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entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings.
She chose a perfect apple from the bowl.
It was very nearly the perfect crime—next to impossible for detectives to solve.
- Synonyms:
- picture-perfect, faultless, flawless
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accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.
I’ll email you a perfect copy when revisions are complete.
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thorough or complete; absolute; utter.
A week ago we were perfect strangers, and already we’ve become friends.
He made a perfect fool of himself.
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expert; accomplished; proficient.
She will need a perfect driving teacher.
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pure or unmixed.
perfect yellow.
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Botany.
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having all parts or members present.
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Grammar. designating a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state that is or will be complete as of some point of reference in time, and that is thought of with regard to its relevance or effect for that time.
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Music.
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of or designating the consonances of unison, octave, and fifth, as distinguished from those of the third and sixth.
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of or designating the intervals, harmonic or melodic, of an octave, fifth, and fourth in their normal form, as opposed to augmented and diminished.
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Mathematics. (of a set) equal to its set of accumulation points.
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Obsolete. assured or certain.
noun
verb (used with object)
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to bring to perfection; make flawless or faultless.
He has succeeded in perfecting his recipe for chicken Kiev.
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to bring nearer to perfection; improve; make better.
She works hard to perfect her writing.
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to make fully skilled.
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to bring to completion; finish.
Nietzsche believed that the emergence of the Superman would perfect the evolution of the human race.
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Printing. to print the reverse of (a printed sheet).
adjective
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having all essential elements
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unblemished; faultless
a perfect gemstone
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correct or precise
perfect timing
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utter or absolute
a perfect stranger
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excellent in all respects
a perfect day
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maths exactly divisible into equal integral or polynomial roots
36 is a perfect square
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botany
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(of flowers) having functional stamens and pistils
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(of plants) having all parts present
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grammar denoting a tense of verbs used in describing an action that has been completed by the subject. In English this is a compound tense, formed with have or has plus the past participle
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music
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of or relating to the intervals of the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave
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Also: full. final. (of a cadence) ending on the tonic chord, giving a feeling of conclusion Compare imperfect
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archaic positive certain, or assured
noun
verb
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to make perfect; improve to one's satisfaction
he is in Paris to perfect his French
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to make fully accomplished
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printing to print the reverse side of (a printed sheet of paper)
Usage
A few usage guides still object to the use of comparison words such as more, most, nearly, almost, and rather with perfect on the grounds that perfect describes an absolute, yes-or-no condition that cannot logically be said to exist in varying degrees. The English language has never agreed to this limitation. Since its earliest use in the 13th century, perfect has, like almost all adjectives, been compared, first in the now obsolete forms perfecter and perfectest, and more recently with more, most, and similar comparison words: the most perfect arrangement of color and line imaginable. Perfect is compared in most of its general senses in all varieties of speech and writing. After all, one of the objectives of the writers of the U. S. Constitution was “to form a more perfect union.” See also complete, unique.
For most of its meanings, the adjective perfect describes an absolute state, i.e. one that cannot be qualified; thus something is either perfect or not perfect, and cannot be more perfect or less perfect. However when perfect means excellent in all respects, a comparative can be used with it without absurdity: the next day the weather was even more perfect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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perfecternoun
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perfectnessnoun
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nonperfectedadjective
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quasi-perfectadjective
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self-perfectingadjective
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superperfectadjective
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unperfectadjective
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unperfectedadjective
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perfectedlyadverb
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quasi-perfectlyadverb
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superperfectlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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perfectsimple
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perfectssimple
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have perfectedperfect
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has perfectedperfect
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am perfectingprogressive
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are perfectingprogressive
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is perfectingprogressive
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have been perfectingperfect progressive
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has been perfectingperfect progressive
Past
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perfectedsimple
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had perfectedperfect
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was perfectingprogressive
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were perfectingprogressive
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had been perfectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of perfect
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin perfectus “finished,” past participle of perficere “to finish, bring to completion,” from per- per- + -fecere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( see also do 1); replacing Middle English parfit, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Something that is perfect is complete and without defect or blemish. It might also be precisely accurate or exact. The word perfect can also be used as a verb meaning — you guessed it! — to make something perfect. (Note, though, the pronunciation difference: PER-fect as a noun; per-FECT as a verb.) It originally comes from the Latin word perficere, which breaks down into per- ("completely") and facere ("do"). As a noun perfect is a grammatical term referring to a tense of verbs describing an action that has been completed.
Vocabulary lists containing perfect
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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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.
See Examples For:
No resolution is perfect, and the deal will still buy more yachts for the rapacious lawyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In my perfect version, the yolk breaks over the hot rice and mingles immediately with the lemon zest, becoming a kind of lazy hollandaise.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The report said there is not one factor causing the crisis, with a "perfect storm" of the jobs market, spending on education and the Covid pandemic being some of the reasons highlighted.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Their eventual detente turns into something more meaningful for both of them, and Wikstrom and Angelo exercise the perfect amount of restraint to make their characters’ tentative friendship believable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
We hadn’t spent much time together, but this was the first time I’d seen her lose that perfect composure.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
As “Maddie’s Secret” continues, and the titular Maddie falls deeper into the grasp of her titular secret, Early perfects that push and pull.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The avatar perfects the theater, showing up with scripted answers.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Just as a chef perfects a dish by experimenting with flavors and textures, the researchers used an iterative process, testing variations to find the ideal structure for the ionizable lipid.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024
Ingredients may change as it perfects its brew.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
An accomplishment, in its accepted meaning, is "something acquired which perfects or makes complete; an attainment which tends to equip in character, manner, or person, and which gives pleasure to others."
From The Man Who Pleases and the Woman Who Charms by Cone, John A.
On the plus side, it’s a hooky blues-rock number with rhythmic drive, which is a formula the Rolling Stones perfected roughly 60 years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
During the album’s rollout, the pop star’s visage was perfected with the help of some uncanny AI smoothing, while her accompanying “Confessions II” short film featured a team of AI artists in the credits.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
He’d eventually join the MGM art department, where he perfected a visual effect technique called “matte painting.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
It is debatable whether Leonardo, or some anonymous artisan, perfected the design, but the first wheellocks emerged soon after.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
“Well, he did begin Ford Motor Company, but he didn’t invent the car. He perfected the moving assembly line, which was a very clever way to build a lot of cars fast.”
From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Hunched over sizzling grills and shrouded in smoke, trainees at the Yueyang Barbecue Academy in southern China roast skewer after skewer of succulent beef tendon, perfecting the skills that could land them a restaurant job.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
He said that in a world focused on technology, where people can become caught up in making videos or perfecting production, writing requires nothing more than a pen and paper.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The company’s ability to operate space-based data centers and ramp up rocket launches depends on perfecting critical technology.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
As she said, when you are in the studio, you are perfecting a moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
Alexander Graham Bell, famous for inventing the telephone five years earlier, suggested using induction balance, with which he had worked while perfecting his invention.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
