| 1. | conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type: a perfect sphere; a perfect gentleman. |
| 2. | excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement: There is no perfect legal code. The proportions of this temple are almost perfect. |
| 3. | exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose: a perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber; a perfect saw for cutting out keyholes. |
| 4. | entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings: a perfect apple; the perfect crime. |
| 5. | accurate, exact, or correct in every detail: a perfect copy. |
| 6. | thorough; complete; utter: perfect strangers. |
| 7. | pure or unmixed: perfect yellow. |
| 8. | unqualified; absolute: He has perfect control over his followers. |
| 9. | expert; accomplished; proficient. |
| 10. | unmitigated; out-and-out; of an extreme degree: He made a perfect fool of himself. |
| 11. | Botany.
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| 12. | Grammar.
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| 13. | Music.
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| 14. | Mathematics. (of a set) equal to its set of accumulation points. |
| 15. | Obsolete. assured or certain. |
| 16. | the perfect tense. |
| 17. | a verb form or construction in the perfect tense. Compare future perfect, pluperfect, present perfect. |
| 18. | to bring to completion; finish. |
| 19. | to bring to perfection; make flawless or faultless. |
| 20. | to bring nearer to perfection; improve. |
| 21. | to make fully skilled. |
| 22. | Printing. to print the reverse of (a printed sheet). |

per·fect (pûr'fĭkt) adj.
To bring to perfection or completion. [Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit, from Latin perfectus, past participle of perficere, to finish : per-, per- + facere, to do; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.] per·fect'er n., per'fect·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean being wholly without flaw: a perfect diamond; a consummate performer; faultless logic; a flawless instrumental technique; speaks impeccable French. Usage Note: Some people maintain that perfect is an absolute term like chief and prime, and therefore cannot be modified by more, quite, relatively, and other qualifiers of degree. But the qualification of perfect has many reputable precedents (most notably in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the phrase "in order to form a more perfect Union"). By the same token, perfect often means "ideal for the purposes," as in There could be no more perfect spot for the picnic, where modification by degree makes perfect sense. See Usage Notes at absolute, equal, unique. |