Princeton's WordNet

1. ideal(noun)

   the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain

2. ideal, paragon, nonpareil, saint, apotheosis, nonesuch, nonsuch(adj)

   model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal

3. ideal(adj)

   conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal

4. ideal(adj)

   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"

5. ideal, idealistic(adj)

   of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

1. ideal(adjective)ɪˈdi əl, aɪˈdil

   very suitable for a particular purpose

   shoes that are ideal for hiking

2. idealɪˈdi əl, aɪˈdil

   completely perfect

   In an ideal world there would be no wars.

3. ideal(noun)ɪˈdi əl, aɪˈdil

   a belief or principle

   political ideals

Wiktionary

1. ideal(Noun)

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

   Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny - Carl Schurz

2. ideal(Noun)

   A non-empty lower set (of a partially ordered set) which is closed under binary suprema (a.k.a. joins).

3. ideal(Noun)

   A subring closed under multiplication by its containing ring.

   Let uE00025117uE001 be the ring of integers and let uE00025118uE001 be its ideal of even integers. Then the quotient ring uE00025119uE001 is a Boolean ring.

4. ideal(Adjective)

   Optimal; being the best possibility.

5. ideal(Adjective)

   Perfect, flawless, having no defects.

6. ideal(Adjective)

   Existing only in the mind; conceptual, imaginary.

7. ideal(Adjective)

   Not actually present, but considered as present when limits at infinity are included.

Origin: From idéal, from idealis, from idea; see idea.

Webster Dictionary

1. Ideal(adj)

   existing in idea or thought; conceptional; intellectual; mental; as, ideal knowledge

2. Ideal(adj)

   reaching an imaginary standard of excellence; fit for a model; faultless; as, ideal beauty

3. Ideal(adj)

   existing in fancy or imagination only; visionary; unreal

4. Ideal(adj)

   teaching the doctrine of idealism; as, the ideal theory or philosophy

5. Ideal(adj)

   imaginary

6. Ideal(noun)

   a mental conception regarded as a standard of perfection; a model of excellence, beauty, etc

The Roycroft Dictionary

1. ideal

   1. The dreams of a sin to come. 2. The mirage of failure. 3. The venom of the lost. 4. An excuse for murder, tyranny or for self-aggrandizement. 5. Any theory that justifies our secret itch.

• ideaalAfrikaans
• شَخْص مِثالي، مَثَل أعلىArabic
• съвършенBulgarian
• idealPortuguese (BR)
• ideálCzech
• das IdealGerman
• ideal; forbilledeDanish
• πρότυπο, ίνδαλμαGreek
• idealSpanish
• ideaalEstonian
• فرد یا چیز دلخواهFarsi
• perikuvaFinnish
• idéalFrench
• אִידֵיאָלHebrew
• आदर्शHindi
• uzorCroatian
• eszményképHungarian
• idamanIndonesian
• ímynd hins fullkomnaIcelandic
• idealeItalian
• 理想のものJapanese
• 이상적인 인물(것)Korean
• idealasLithuanian
• ideālsLatvian
• idamanMalay
• ideaalDutch
• forbilde, idealNorwegian
• ideałPolish
• فرد یا چیز دلخواهPersian
• ايډيالى، خيالى، تصورىPashto
• idealPortuguese
• idealRomanian
• идеалRussian
• ideálSlovak
• vzorSlovenian
• idealSerbian
• idealSwedish
• แบบอย่างที่ดีThai
• ideal, mükemmel/kusursuz kimse/şeyTurkish
• 理想Chinese (Trad.)
• ідеал, взірецьUkrainian
• مثالیUrdu
• mẫu người hoàn hảoVietnamese
• 理想Chinese (Simp.)