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 local graft was Hall’s boss, Fate Thomas, the Davidson County sheriff.
—
James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
For those who’ve forgotten, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was seen for a time as the Democratic beau ideal, a brawler who could get under Trump’s skin and take the fight to the president like few others could or would.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
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 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
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
James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
For those who’ve forgotten, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was seen for a time as the Democratic beau ideal, a brawler who could get under Trump’s skin and take the fight to the president like few others could or would.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2025
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 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beau ideal
Noun
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The quartet’s ambitions with Black Harbour include bringing more production to British Columbia as producers look to shoot locally from project development to delivery, whether on budgeting, scheduling, and crew management through to studio-level negotiations financing models.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
-
Football has to become a money-making sector, with clubs buying and selling players as a business model, not as a government directive.—
Wael Mahdi,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Noun
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The Jetsetter’s slim profile makes the tool ideal for picking up anything metal in hard-to-reach places, both at home and while on the road, like behind a nightstand in a hotel room or under the sink in a restaurant bathroom.—
Kristy Alpert,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
-
Bodies; projects; efforts; ideals.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Since his Pop Art paintings in the early ‘60s at London’s Royal College of Art, Hockney was rarely out of the limelight and, more importantly, rarely out of fresh ideas for how to draw, paint, film, print, photograph or otherwise express his creativity.—
Barbara Isenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
In the end, an inexperienced minor – who has no idea who hired them – pulls the trigger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Summer is the season to embrace colorful stones in addition to the classics.—
Aemilia Madden,
Vogue,
18 June 2026
-
During IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables panel, series production designer Susie Mancini spoke about fixing up the 1989 classic to retrofit it to a contemporary story.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
Noun
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After her death she was canonized by the Catholic Church and recognized as the patron saint of immigrants.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Named for Honoratus of Amiens, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, the Saint-Honoré is French pâtisserie at its most theatrical.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Noun
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For dinner, standouts included a superb chicken cordon bleu, polar fjord haddock with Parmesan polenta, and an always-available filet cooked to perfection.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
This is a brand obsessed with quality and craft, so much so that approaches perfection.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
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The consumer backlash, which prompted Lululemon to issue an apology and scrub its campaign, is the latest example of how quickly Western brands can come unstuck in a country where nationalism has surged under strongman leader Xi Jinping.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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For example, when Curacao played Germany, the World Cup newcomers equalised just before the first hydration break.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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The Cane Ridge Revival would become an epochal moment in American religious history, one of the most visible manifestations of what historians would later refer to as the Second Great Awakening.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The pastor was said to have died of a severe abdominal infection, which could have been a manifestation of Ebola.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beau ideal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beau%20ideal. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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