I. ī-ˈdē(-ə)l, ˈī-ˌ adjective
Etymology: Middle English ydeall, from Late Latin idealis, from Latin idea
Date: 15th century
1. : existing as an archetypal idea
2.
a. : existing as a mental image or in fancy or imagination only ; broadly : lacking practicality
b. : relating to or constituting mental images, ideas, or conceptions
3.
a. : of, relating to, or embodying an ideal
ideal beauty
b. : conforming exactly to an ideal, law, or standard : perfect
an ideal gas
— compare real 2b(3)
4. : of or relating to philosophical idealism
II. noun
Date: 15th century
1. : a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence
2. : one regarded as exemplifying an ideal and often taken as a model for imitation
3. : an ultimate object or aim of endeavor : goal
4. : a subset of a mathematical ring that is closed under addition and subtraction and contains the products of any given element of the subset with each element of the ring
Synonyms: see model
• ide·al·less ī-ˈdē(-ə)l-ləs adjective