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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The pool brand names and model numbers can be found on the pool liner on the outside of the pool.—
Melina Khan,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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With the market saturated with many brands and similar models, carmakers that don't want to lose market share are of the view that the only way to survive in the short term is lowering prices, said Felipe Munoz, an automotive analyst at Jato.—
Elaine Yu,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Advertisement This god is not just a spiritual ideal but a symbol of ultimate power and control.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
25 July 2025
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Chef-owner Niven Patel’s innovative fusion sit-down in Wynwood (and Michelin Bib Gourmand) has a ghost pepper-cheddar naan ideal for mopping up every saucy dish on its $45 Miami Spice menu.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Send ideas and tips to arlyssa.becenti@arizonarepublic.com.—
Arlyssa D. Becenti,
AZCentral.com,
23 July 2025
-
What does the heat index chart look like? To get an idea of how air temperatures and humidity levels produce apparent temperatures, here is the NWS' heat index chart.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
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The film didn’t perform well, but the soundtrack has become a cult classic, and now, The Pick of Destiny has become a commercial success.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
The Steven Spielberg classic is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the creature feature birthing the modern-day summer blockbuster on June 20, 1975.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Anchoring it is the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, an excellent example of Romanesque architecture named for the city’s patron saint.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Apr. 2025
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Mary Magdalene, as the patron saint of outcasts, seemed to draw them in, welcoming skeptics like me to make room in our minds for more complex possibilities.—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And, sometimes, perfection comes with a surgeon’s touch.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Embracing private relationships, then, is partly Gen Z’s way of rejecting the suffocating pressures of perfection and returning to the value of real-life displays of affection.—
Kameryn Griesser,
CNN Money,
22 July 2025
Noun
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For example, fructose (fruit sugar) is converted to glucose in the liver, and so is galactose (a component of milk sugar).—
Bryant Stamford,
The Courier-Journal,
25 July 2025
-
For example, the Bay View Neighborhood Association supports residents through advocacy and community improvements.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The collecting of hair is, in short, a deeply unrelatable manifestation of deeply relatable emotions: love, grief, nostalgia, yearning.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
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While in police custody, Madelyn Cline's Danica Richards has a vision of Helen, who was memorably killed by the Fisherman in the 1997 movie, as a manifestation of her guilt.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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