1
as in model
someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation
she is the beau ideal of the dedicated medical professional
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in ideal
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 & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beau ideal
The beau ideal of local graft was Hall’s boss, Fate Thomas, the Davidson County sheriff.
—
James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
For those who’ve forgotten, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was seen for a time as the Democratic beau ideal, a brawler who could get under Trump’s skin and take the fight to the president like few others could or would.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
The beau ideal of illiberal democracy is, of course, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, who outlined the term in a 2014 speech.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 31 Jan. 2024
Fieg is its beau ideal.
—Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2022
At Délice & Sarrasin, a charming French bistro in the West Village, vegans can bide their time in style, enticing new recruits with the beau ideal of meatless haute cuisine.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2021
If Hicks is the beau ideal in today’s MLB, then Miles Mikolas is a throwback to the Roosevelt administration.
—Michael Beller, SI.com, 23 May 2018
Conservatives like to imagine Reagan as the beau ideal of a president who faithfully adhered to their principles, but Trump is the president who has actually done it.
—Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 23 Feb. 2018
If Teddy Roosevelt was the Harvard beau ideal at the turn of the last century, Mark Zuckerberg is the Harvard man to be in the new millennium.
—William Stadiem, Town & Country, 2 Aug. 2016
James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
For those who’ve forgotten, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was seen for a time as the Democratic beau ideal, a brawler who could get under Trump’s skin and take the fight to the president like few others could or would.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
The beau ideal of illiberal democracy is, of course, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, who outlined the term in a 2014 speech.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 31 Jan. 2024
Fieg is its beau ideal.
—Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2022
At Délice & Sarrasin, a charming French bistro in the West Village, vegans can bide their time in style, enticing new recruits with the beau ideal of meatless haute cuisine.
—David Kortava, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2021
If Hicks is the beau ideal in today’s MLB, then Miles Mikolas is a throwback to the Roosevelt administration.
—Michael Beller, SI.com, 23 May 2018
Conservatives like to imagine Reagan as the beau ideal of a president who faithfully adhered to their principles, but Trump is the president who has actually done it.
—Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 23 Feb. 2018
If Teddy Roosevelt was the Harvard beau ideal at the turn of the last century, Mark Zuckerberg is the Harvard man to be in the new millennium.
—William Stadiem, Town & Country, 2 Aug. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beau ideal
Noun
-
This model is for everyone who wants to know both what is likely to happen in an upcoming soccer match, but also why.—
Ethan Douglas,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
The Netflix model has been more, not better.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The system that the Founders created was remarkably resilient, even if American politics never fully lived up to Madison’s ideal of thoughtful deliberation.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
Further, Ram Man is a loyal devotee of He-Man, having his back and fighting for freedom, as the fire sign takes on their ideals.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Since his Pop Art paintings in the early ‘60s at London’s Royal College of Art, Hockney was rarely out of the limelight and, more importantly, rarely out of fresh ideas for how to draw, paint, film, print, photograph or otherwise express his creativity.—
Barbara Isenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
In the end, an inexperienced minor – who has no idea who hired them – pulls the trigger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Today, bakers across France riff on the classic by adding everything from tahini to cherries and peanuts.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
-
The Shawshank Redemption Selected by Dan Lin Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is a timeless classic that reflects where our film culture is headed.—
Time,
Time,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
After her death she was canonized by the Catholic Church and recognized as the patron saint of immigrants.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Named for Honoratus of Amiens, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, the Saint-Honoré is French pâtisserie at its most theatrical.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
But our conversation ended up being so much about women and mothers generally, and how people in their lives create these illusions of normalcy and these illusions of perfection based on superficial stuff.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
-
Berenberg downgrades CrowdStrike to hold from buy Berenberg said the stock is priced to perfection.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
There are two dogs, for example, in Bartholomeus van Bassen’s painting of an imagined church interior with the tomb of William the Silent (pictured above, 1620).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
The 1961 legislation establishing the Seashore saved the land from development and gave the public a pristine example of what the popular peninsula looked like before the Pilgrims arrived in Provincetown and before the birth of the nation.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Being bitten by Pirate Clark may have been a manifestation of Clark's deepest emotional wounds and desires — or maybe the monster just needed a meal.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, here are some other Bay Area manifestations of the Miles/Coltrane centennial.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
