ideal
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.
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.
Origin of ideal
1synonym study For ideal
Other words for ideal
Other words from ideal
- i·de·al·ness, noun
- qua·si-i·de·al, adjective
- qua·si-i·de·al·ly, adverb
- sub·i·de·al, adjective, noun
- su·per·i·de·al, adjective, noun
- su·per·i·de·al·ly, adverb
- un·i·de·al, adjective
Words Nearby ideal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ideal in a sentence
You want it to cover your shoulders and fall a bit below your toes for ideal weight distribution.
Best weighted blanket: Sleep like a baby with our comfy bedding picks | PopSci Commerce Team | February 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe ideal chair should be about 16 to 21 inches above the ground, and your arms should rest comfortably while your feet remain flat.
On one hand, the year-long shutdown, with less rushing around, has provided ideal circumstances for serious chats.
Watching edgier TV with your kids during the pandemic? You’re not alone. | Bonnie Miller Rubin | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostMakridis and Wu’s research underscores how the ongoing erosion of social trust in the United States created an ideal environment for a pandemic to flourish.
Researchers identify social factors inoculating some communities against coronavirus | Christopher Ingraham | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostThe climate in Death Valley is ideal during the winter months.
4 Awesome Winter Road Trips to National Parks | Megan Michelson | February 11, 2021 | Outside Online
White and Crandall agree that low-intensity workouts are ideal.
The land at Easter Elchies was the ideal place for Reid to set up his business.
I reached out with heartfelt pleas, and spoke to people that I felt were ideal—and I was right in most cases.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle | Marlow Stern | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHowever the American sexual ideal is intimately related to a certain idea of masculinity.
The problem comes at this point because the liquid loses its potency within an hour even in ideal conditions.
Powdered Measles Vaccine Could Be Huge for Developing World | Kent Sepkowitz | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI believe that these are ideal characters constructed from still more ancient legends and traditions.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordThat title of Castile might become the cherished ideal in the Philippines if it were valued as I desire.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanIt makes one believe that fundamentally the country must be sound—that unswerving fidelity to an ideal.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonThe ideal is not a thing to be clutched at, or taken by force, but all of the conditions—every tittle—must be fulfilled.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayAwe stole upon him; he felt himself included in the great ideal of this older day.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for ideal
/ (aɪˈdɪəl) /
a conception of something that is perfect, esp that which one seeks to attain
a person or thing considered to represent perfection: he's her ideal
something existing only as an idea
a pattern or model, esp of ethical behaviour
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), noun
- ideally, adverb
- idealness, 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
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