Ideal
WordNet
adjective
(1) Constituting or existing only in the form of an idea or mental image or conception
"A poem or essay may be typical of its period in idea or ideal content"
(2) Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
(3) Of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas
noun
(4) The idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
(5) Model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
WiktionaryText
Etymology
< < < ; see idea.
Adjective
- Optimal; being the best possibility.
- Perfect, flawless, having no defects.
- Existing only in the mind; conceptual, imaginary.
- 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 256:
- The idea of ghosts is ridiculous in the extreme; and if you continue to be swayed by ideal terrors —
- 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus,http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Frankenstein Chapter 4,
- Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.
- 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 256:
Related terms
Noun
- A perfect standard of beauty, intellect etc., or a standard of excellence to aim at.
- A subset of a partially ordered set comprising an element and all elements less than it.
- A subring closed under multiplication by its containing ring.
Noun
- ideal; perfect standard
- ideal; special subsets of a ring