ideal type

noun

: an abstraction of features from empirical reality and their embodiment into a unified conceptual scheme of hypothetical validity
sees the ideal type of monogamy in Christian marriage—Rodney Needham
analysis of social situations by the use of ideal types

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ideal type was in 1923

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Dictionary Entries Near ideal type

ideal truth

ideal type

ideal utilitarianism

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Cite this Entry

“Ideal type.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ideal%20type. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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