Synonyms of ideals

ideals

noun

plural of ideal

1

as in ideas

someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation

she's our ideal of the concerned, caring physician

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ideas
• models
• examples
• incarnations
• manifestations
• patron saints
• pinnacles
• paragons
• exemplars
• classics
• standards
• nonpareils
• principles
• beau ideals
• paradigms
• mirrors
• essences
• eidolons
• nonesuches
• guidelines
• phantoms
• role models
• personifications
• pinks
• archetypes
• touchstones
• rules
• embodiments
• epitomes
• culminations
• summits
• patterns
• zeniths
• gauges
• apexes
• peaks
• apotheoses
• acmes
• quintessences

2

as in perfections

the most perfect type or example

the Taj Mahal in India is generally regarded as the ideal of Mogul architectural beauty

Synonyms & Similar Words

• perfections
• classics
• manifestations
• models
• standards
• incarnations
• exemplars
• paradigms
• bywords
• epitomes
• beau ideals
• prototypes
• heights
• apotheoses
• zeniths
• acmes
• avatars
• archetypes
• benchmarks
• quintessences
• ultimates
• criteria
• incorporations
• paragons
• personifications
• abstracts
• touchstones
• last words
• meridians
• embodiments
• nonpareils
• yardsticks
• embodiers

3

as in goals

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish

his ideal is to make enough money so that he can retire at 50

Synonyms & Similar Words

• goals
• purposes
• plans
• ideas
• intentions
• objectives
• aims
• ambitions
• intents
• dreams
• objects
• aspirations
• things
• meanings
• pretensions
• designs
• targets
• points
• ends
• hopes
• projects
• desires
• marks
• wishes
• bournes
• minds
• schemes
• plots
• destinations
• holy grails
• grails
• nirvanas
• termini

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• methods
• means
• ways

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ideals

Shay focused on the American military institutions and leaders who undermined the trust and ideals of their soldiers through unclear goals and unjust orders. — Amy S. Badura-Brack, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

Unlike Superman and Captain America, he isn’t written to uphold moral ideals. — Sophia Morano, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

The novel shows how women can reinforce patriarchal norms by enforcing ideals of ritual purity against other women. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Malekan makes his case not by appealing to lofty ideals of decentralization, but rather by citing the cold logic of power and competition. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 27 July 2026

When the amendment passed in the wake of the Civil War, many scholars say, the country took a step toward fulfilling the ideals of the Revolutionary War by extending individual rights – including a right to citizenship – to everyone. — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026

The book argues that democracies erode through the backsliding of democratic ideals like mutual tolerance, along with legal processes like the weakening of independent courts. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 21 July 2026

Deinstitutionalization did not fail because its ideals were wrong. — Sunny Patel, STAT, 17 July 2026

The visual essay below features virtuoso examples of the techniques that designers have used to replicate the ideals of classical dress over the years, including draping, pleating, twisting, and wrapping. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 July 2026