perfection
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being or becoming perfect.
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the highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art.
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a perfect embodiment or example of something.
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a quality, trait, or feature of the highest degree of excellence.
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the highest or most nearly perfect degree of a quality or trait.
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the act or fact of perfecting.
noun
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the act of perfecting or the state or quality of being perfect
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the highest degree of a quality, etc
the perfection of faithfulness
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an embodiment of perfection
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perfection
First recorded in 1175–1225; from Latin perfectiōn-, stem of perfectiō “completion, finishing”; equivalent to perfect + -ion; replacing Middle English perfeccioun, perfectiun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Perfection is a flawless state where everything is exactly right. It can also be the action of making something perfect. Since perfect things are without fault or flaw, perfection is a perfect condition — everything is 100% great. Of course, perfection is hard to find. People often use this word as a compliment for something that just couldn’t be better, as in "That red dress matches your red hair to perfection!” Also, if a musician is getting a song down pat, you could say she’s working on the perfection of the song: she’s learning to play it flawlessly.
Vocabulary lists containing perfection
"Imperfect Me"
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"Romeo and Juliet" and "West Side Story"
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James Monroe's First Inaugural Address (1817)
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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.
Evolution may be less like climbing steadily toward perfection and more like running after a world that keeps moving.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
I’m a firm believer that any meal involving golden egg yolks, a skillet full of sauce and toasted bread meant for dragging through said sauce is already halfway to perfection.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
Now men and boys are facing their own heightened images of perfection: sharp jawlines, massive muscles, glowing skin.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
That’s what I want too — I want to see some humanity, especially these days when everybody is being force-fed so much perfection and so much unattainable grace.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
He held his head high, as though conscious of the perfection of his jawline, and when speaking to someone shorter than himself, lowered only his eyes, not his head.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
