beau ideal

noun

ˌbō-ī-ˈdē(-ə)l How to pronounce beau ideal (audio)
Definition of beau idealnext
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

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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 Carl Sandburg’s 1927 American Songbag featured a whole section of hobo songs presenting the bum as a beau ideal. — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026 The beau ideal of local graft was Hall’s boss, Fate Thomas, the Davidson County sheriff. — James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 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 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
  1. model
  2. ideal
  3. idea
  4. classic
  5. patron saint
  6. perfection
  7. example
  8. manifestation
Noun
  • Meanwhile, public broadcasters are pursuing different models of collaboration.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Its success was immediate, and many others adopted the model with varying degrees of success.
    — Mark Cecil, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of model
Noun
  • The king-size bed had a pristine, cloud-white duvet and sheets; by the foot of it sat a lounge chair and ottoman ideal for reading.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Even resistance to consumerism could be packaged as a new consumer ideal.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of ideal
Noun
  • The main idea of the company is to automate parts of these missions so personnel can concentrate on operational decisions rather than manually managing every aspect of a drone’s flight or sensor operation.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Today, Sarah Stewart and Anthony Cataldo keep the spirit of Perse’s original idea alive in the West Hollywood store.
    — Viv Chen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of idea
Noun
  • The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister An eerie fable that seems to take place across and outside of time, The Bog Wife is already a classic of the modern bog-core genre.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Its Lotus and Talisman collections, alongside solitaires and diamond classics, are being developed as recognizable signatures that can be worn, layered and collected over time.
    — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of classic
Noun
  • For the patron saint of men who can’t get out of their own way, is Ginger the fourth cup?
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Rita then prayed to her patron saints — John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Nicholas of Tolentino — while setting out to establish peace between the families involved in her husband's murder.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of patron saint
Noun
  • The present ideal isn’t perfection, but a kind of rule-breaking individualism, preferably with an IYKYK spin.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Afsaneh Salari’s Tehran, Under the Skin enters Tehran’s cosmetic clinics to explore the pressures behind Iran’s widespread culture of cosmetic surgery in pursuit of physical perfection, in a conservative society that seeks to control women’s beauty.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of perfection
Noun
  • One example is basa, also known as swai, a freshwater catfish native to Southeast Asia.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • It will be limited to just 200 examples, half of which will be coupes, while the other half will be open-top spyders.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of example
Noun
  • Turns out, Shakespeare didn’t have to decide, because the story works equally well whether the reader believes the figure is ectoplasm in the castle courtyard or is a psychological manifestation of Hamlet’s nagging conscience.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The demonstrations became a more widespread manifestation of anger and anxiety about education, employment, and general livelihood issues.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of manifestation

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beau ideal
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Cite this Entry

“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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