- conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type: a perfect sphere; a perfect gentleman.
- excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement: There is no perfect legal code. The proportions of this temple are almost perfect.
- exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose: a perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber; a perfect saw for cutting out keyholes.
- entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings: a perfect apple; the perfect crime.
- accurate, exact, or correct in every detail: a perfect copy.
- thorough; complete; utter: perfect strangers.
- pure or unmixed: perfect yellow.
- unqualified; absolute: He has perfect control over his followers.
- expert; accomplished; proficient: She will need a perfect driving teacher.
- unmitigated; out-and-out; of an extreme degree: He made a perfect fool of himself.
- having all parts or members present.
- noting an action or state brought to a close prior to some temporal point of reference, in contrast to imperfect or incomplete action.
- designating a tense or other verb formation or construction with such meaning.
- applied to the consonances of unison, octave, and fifth, as distinguished from those of the third and sixth, which are called imperfect.
- applied to the intervals, harmonic or melodic, of an octave, fifth, and fourth in their normal form, as opposed to augmented and diminished.
- Mathematics. (of a set) equal to its set of accumulation points.
- Obsolete. assured or certain.
- to bring to completion; finish.
- to bring to perfection; make flawless or faultless: He has succeeded in perfecting his recipe for chicken Kiev.
- to bring nearer to perfection; improve; make better: She works hard to perfect her writing.
- to make fully skilled.
- Printing. to print the reverse of (a printed sheet).
Origin of perfect
Synonyms for perfectSee more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
Related Words for perfectnesssupremacy, evolution, virtue, integrity, accomplishment, precision, ideal, superiority, purity, excellence, quality, fulfillment, transcendence, consummation, crown, paragon, merit, ending, completion, maturity
Examples from the Web for perfectness
Contemporary Examples of perfectness
It takes Sharp four hours to get into character: “I take joy in the mathematical, symmetrical precision and perfectness of Bach.”The Brit Who Stormed Broadway
December 7, 2014
Historical Examples of perfectness
What is common to them all,that perfectness and harmony, is beauty.Nature
Ralph Waldo Emerson
But demuth signifies "a likeness," or "the perfectness of an image."Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.Sanctification
J. W. Byers
We then say that the classic does not satisfy us, and that the "Grecian cloys us with his perfectness."The Sense of Beauty
The tares must be taken away in order to the perfectness and usefulness of the wheat.Talks To Farmers
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
- having all essential elements
- unblemished; faultlessa perfect gemstone
- correct or preciseperfect timing
- utter or absolutea perfect stranger
- excellent in all respectsa perfect day
- maths exactly divisible into equal integral or polynomial roots36 is a perfect square
- (of flowers) having functional stamens and pistils
- (of plants) having all parts present
- grammar denoting a tense of verbs used in describing an action that has been completed by the subject. In English this is a compound tense, formed with have or has plus the past participle
- of or relating to the intervals of the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave
- Also: full, final(of a cadence) ending on the tonic chord, giving a feeling of conclusionCompare imperfect (def. 6)
- archaic positive certain, or assured
- the perfect tense
- a verb in this tense
- to make perfect; improve to one's satisfactionhe is in Paris to perfect his French
- to make fully accomplished
- printing to print the reverse side of (a printed sheet of paper)
Word Origin for perfect
early 15c. alteration of Middle English parfit (c.1300), from Old French parfit "finished, completed, ready" (11c.), from Latin perfectus "completed, excellent, accomplished, exquisite," past participle of perficere "accomplish, finish, complete," from per- "completely" (see per) + facere "to perform" (see factitious). Often used in English as an intensive (perfect stranger, etc.).
"to bring to full development," late 14c., parfiten, from perfect (adj.). Related: Perfected; perfecting.