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 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
-
Our leaders intervened to retrain the model, preserving our commitment to personalized service.—
Braden Yuill,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
Open source is a big deal in AI right now because of the strong performance of those models, especially out of China, which are free to use.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
This can be addressed through continuous communication with others, supporting the generation of ideas that are both feasible and unique.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Recently, a special idea came to the family — one that felt like a meaningful way to keep Andreini close.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Dior Maria Grazia Chiuri leaned hard into the classics, recreating the 1949 Poulenc dress for Jennifer Lawrence and the Junon for Natalie Portman.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
27 May 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Cactus wrens, for example, may build several pouch nests, but only one is used for laying eggs.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 May 2025
-
For example, Hass avocados, which are the most common type available in the U.S., are medium sized.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
Inside the park, attendees can roam through physical manifestations of Nintendo games, including the Mushroom Kingdom and Donkey Kong Country.—
Sage Anderson,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
-
Her mom has trouble with intimate relationships and is sort of like a boy crazy mom, and Taylor's the one that's seeing the manifestation of that, and essentially comforting her mother and trying to help her.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share