ideally

adverb

ide·al·ly | \ ī-ˈdē-ə-lē

How to pronounce ideally (audio)

, -ˈdē(-ə)l-lē \

Definition of ideally

1a : conformably to or in respect to an ideal : perfectly

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about ideally

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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 With the three commits being guys who project as SAM or WILL linebackers — or potentially defensive ends — ideally the fourth would be a MIKE. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "Ranking Ohio State football’s top 2022 targets after updated composite rankings: Buckeyes Recruiting," 25 Feb. 2021 Spring training would ideally be a time for people to get to better know Franchy Cordero, Kiké Hernández, Garrett Richards, Hunter Renfroe, and other newcomers. — Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "Red Sox, off another roiling winter, hurt by anything-but-routine spring," 15 Feb. 2021 Grow lights and, ideally, a timer for the grow lights. — oregonlive, "What you need to know before adding a greenhouse to your garden," 24 Sep. 2020 The new teams are a boon for NASCAR, which sorely needs young, diverse team owners to bring fresh thinking, new corporate sponsors and, ideally, new fans to the sport. — Liz Clarke, BostonGlobe.com, "Bubba Wallace, Michael Jordan, Pitbull leading new, diverse wave in NASCAR," 14 Feb. 2021 Conner’s college debut would ideally be a stress-free one, like at the end of a runaway win. — P.j. Brown, The Arizona Republic, "New Arizona Wildcat Madison Conner hopes of making UA debut soon," 13 Feb. 2021 Because the thing about the rookies-versus-novices issue is that a piece of fiction should ideally be able to please both sides, and if WandaVision can’t work for people who know everything about these characters, that’s a legitimate problem! — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, "What Do We Want Out of WandaVision, Anyway?," 10 Feb. 2021 Pop-ups are often thought of as test runs for eventual brick-and-mortar restaurants — chefs try out ideas to see how diners react, build a following and ideally attract investors in the process. — Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, "Many Bay Area chefs used to see pop-ups as a pit stop. The pandemic made them a long-term plan," 25 Jan. 2021 Those sent to cells would ideally get a medical screening at a later time. — Adam Ferrise, cleveland, "Inside the investigation into Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish," 24 Jan. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ideally.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

6 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Ideally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideally. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for ideally

ideally

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of ideally

: in an ideal way

—used to say what should happen or be done to produce the best results

See the full definition for ideally in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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