beau ideal

beau ideal

noun

Definition of BEAU IDEAL

1

someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation <she is the beau ideal of the beautiful but unassuming film actress>

Synonyms beau ideal, classic, eidolon, exemplar, idea, model, nonesuch, nonpareil, paragon, patron saint

Related Words role model; embodiment, epitome, incarnation, manifestation, personification, phantom, pink; archetype, example, mirror, paradigm, pattern; guideline, principle, rule; gauge (also gage), standard, touchstone; essence, quintessence; acme, apex, apotheosis, culmination, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith

2

the most perfect type or example <Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural creation, Falling Water, is widely regarded as the beau ideal of a building in harmony with its setting>

Synonyms acme, apotheosis, beau ideal, byword, classic, epitome, exemplar, ideal, perfection

Related Words archetype, model, prototype; paradigm, standard; nonpareil, paragon; abstract, avatar, embodier, embodiment, incarnation, incorporation, manifestation, personification; height, last word, meridian, ultimate, zenith; benchmark, criterion, touchstone, yardstick