Meaning & use
ideal
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Perfect or best for a particular purpose.
Grammar: After be or before a noun: ideal for families.
Patterns
- ideal for something
- an ideal place
The weather was ideal for a picnic.
This is the ideal job for her.
nouncountable
A standard of perfection that people try to reach.
Grammar: Often plural: high ideals.
Patterns
- the ideal of something
He lived by his ideals.
Equality is an ideal worth defending.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Existing only in the mind, not in reality.
Grammar: Often in philosophy: an ideal world.
Patterns
- an ideal world
In an ideal world, no one would go hungry.
The model describes an ideal gas.
Word forms
| comparative | more ideal |
|---|---|
| superlative | most ideal |
| plural | ideals |
Common combinations
- ideal for
- The cabin is ideal for a weekend.
- ideal candidate
- She is the ideal candidate.
- in an ideal world
- In an ideal world, we'd all win.
- high ideals
- He has high ideals.
Synonyms and how they differ
- perfect
- Means without fault, a stronger claim.
- optimal
- Technical; best among options.
- model
- Suggests an example to copy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ideal or idea?
ideal vs idea
An idea is a thought; ideal is perfect.
Practice
The quiet cabin is ___ for a writer who needs to concentrate.
Choose one answer.
Ideal for means perfectly suited to. Idle means not working.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ideal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.