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ideal

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

A perfect standard of beauty, intellect etc., or a standard of excellence to aim at.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

eyedeel

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

aɪˈdil

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A perfect standard of beauty, intellect etc., or a standard of excellence to aim at.

adjective

  1. Pertaining to ideas, or to a given idea.

  2. Perfect, flawless, having no defects.

  3. Of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas

  4. Teaching or relating to the doctrine of idealism.

  5. Optimal; being the best possibility.

  6. Existing only in the mind; conceptual, imaginary.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A perfect standard of beauty, intellect etc., or a standard of excellence to aim at.

Used this way, ideal is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Slightly formal
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Beautiful or graceful
Usage feel
Reflective and slightly elevated

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use ideal

  • “This sunny weather is ideal for a picnic.”noun

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.