ideally

adverb

ide·​al·​ly ī-ˈdē-ə-lē 

-ˈdē(-ə)l-lē

1

a

: conformably to or in respect to an ideal : perfectly

He would have liked to live in a world of ideally united couples, himself ideally united …

—P. G. Wodehouse

b

: for best results

Ideally, the counselor should vary his techniques for each applicant …

—T. M. Martinez

c

: in accordance with an ideal or typical standard : classically

2

: in relation to an exemplar

3

: in idea or imagination : mentally

… was afraid of the gallows. She was terrified of them ideally. Having never set eyes on that last argument of men's justice …

—Joseph Conrad

Synonyms of ideally

• perfectly
• immaculately

Examples of ideally in a Sentence

His skills made him ideally suited for the job.

They were ideally suited to one another.

The ski slope was situated ideally.

Recent Examples on the Web

For each gene, the catalogue would ideally include its technical complexity, which methods can reliably analyze it, and document when a specialized test is required. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

Benedict said the process would ideally take a couple of years, with much of the development time spent on design work and virtual simulations before the physical construction began. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

The highest-wattage cast members are undoubtedly Miller and West, ideally chosen to exude effortless glam and rumpled arrogance, respectively. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

These repairs will ideally prevent any additional damage proffered by changing weather conditions. — Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for ideally

• lapilli
• swahili
• freely
• keeley
• mealy
• seely
• steely
• vilely
• intraperitoneally
• kiswahili
• microvilli

Kids Definition

ideally

adverb

ide·​al·​ly ī-ˈdē-ə-lē 

-ˈdē(-ə)l-lē

1

: in agreement with an ideal : perfectly

ideally suited to the job

2

: for best results

ideally, each student should arrive early