1
as in model
someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation
she is the beau ideal of the dedicated medical professional
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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
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Recent Examples of beau ideal
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 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
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
Male dictators are Trump’s beau ideal of an admirable world leader.
—Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 24 Jan. 2018
There was a time when the beau ideal was to drive your sports car to the track, paint numbers on it, go racing and then drive home.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 6 July 2017
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 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
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
Male dictators are Trump’s beau ideal of an admirable world leader.
—Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 24 Jan. 2018
There was a time when the beau ideal was to drive your sports car to the track, paint numbers on it, go racing and then drive home.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 6 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beau ideal
Noun
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Strong cited the new opt-out system being considered by the UK government, which would mean copyright holders would need to opt-out from having their material used for training AI models.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
3 June 2025
-
The findings are challenging the international adoption industry, which was built on the model created in South Korea.—
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
3 June 2025
Noun
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The whole of Wish World is built on Conrad's toxic ideals, made real by Desidirium's powers and subsequently amplified by the Ranis' ingenious/devious use of Voystet-bladen technology.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
24 May 2025
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All those aspects make Zoom Phone ideal for customer support representatives who don't need advanced contact center features, knowledge workers who frequently make calls, and sales teams.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Entertainment companies have been exploring how to use AI in their processes, which supporters say can help reduce costs and allow creatives to test bold ideas without as many financial constraints.—
Wendy Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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Per usual, the old and new world methods clash over topics like whether to physically restrain Emma to a bed, and Theophilus is convinced that anything that looks like rational evidence against his ideas is just Satan manipulating everyone’s brain.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Clearly inspired by the Italian neorealist classic Bicycle Thieves, Lucky Lu follows a Chinese migrant (played by the excellent Chang Chen, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) whose delivery bike does indeed get stolen towards the start of the film.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2025
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The Fresh Prince of Bel Air alum shared throwback photos on Instagram May 23 from her time making the 1999 cult classic.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Pope Francis was a notable exception, choosing not the name of a former pope but that of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century cleric and patron saint of animals and the environment.—
Christopher Watson,
ABC News,
8 May 2025
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One of the co-founders of ICAN, Wright adds that Pope Francis’ role as a virtual patron saint of the movement to ban nuclear bombs should be recognized into the future with a special kind of homage.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Some viewed his pursuit of perfection, marked by his unrealistically high standards, intolerance for mistakes, and insistence on working with only the best people, as the driving force behind Apple’s success.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Bubic is using a style dictated by his strengths, by his terms and absent a need for perfection.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
23 May 2025
Noun
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For example, the family of Martin Gutierrez, whose body was found in the lake in 2018, before the media frenzy around Lady Bird Lake, believe he was drugged while on a night out.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
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Mubi is, for example, a co-producer on the new Jim Jarmusch movie, Father Mother Sister Brother, which stars Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2025
Noun
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In many ways, American Science & Surplus is a physical manifestation of the maker ethos.—
Eric Bangeman – Jun 4,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2025
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All around these memories there were beautiful pieces by Grace Wales Bonner and Willy Chavarria, living manifestations of how much André did to help promote talented people of color.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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