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PERFECTION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of making something perfect
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("perfection" is a kind of...):
improvement (the act of improving something)
Derivation:
perfect (make perfect or complete)
perfectionist (a person who is displeased by anything that does not meet very high standards)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept
Synonyms:
beau ideal; idol; paragon; perfection
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("perfection" is a kind of...):
ideal (the idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perfection"):
gold standard (a paragon of excellence)
Derivation:
perfectionist (a person who is displeased by anything that does not meet very high standards)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The state of being without a flaw or defect
Synonyms:
flawlessness; ne plus ultra; perfection
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("perfection" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Attribute:
perfect (being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish)
imperfect (not perfect; defective or inadequate)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perfection"):
couth ((used facetiously) refinement)
dream (someone or something wonderful)
cultivation; culture; finish; polish; refinement (a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality)
fare-thee-well (state of perfection; the utmost degree)
intactness (the state of being unimpaired)
Antonym:
imperfection (the state or an instance of being imperfect)
Derivation:
perfectionist (a person who is displeased by anything that does not meet very high standards)
Context examples:
Now Aunt March possessed in perfection the art of rousing the spirit of opposition in the gentlest people, and enjoyed doing it.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence.
(Ideal, NCI Thesaurus)
He discovered in himself, at this period, a passion for perfection, under the sway of which he rewrote and polished The Jostling Street, The Wine of Life, Joy, the Sea Lyrics, and others of his earlier work.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The general's improving hand had not loitered here: every modern invention to facilitate the labour of the cooks had been adopted within this, their spacious theatre; and, when the genius of others had failed, his own had often produced the perfection wanted.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
Marianne began now to perceive that the desperation which had seized her at sixteen and a half, of ever seeing a man who could satisfy her ideas of perfection, had been rash and unjustifiable.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
Anne could do no more; but her heart prophesied some mischance to damp the perfection of her felicity.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Sir Thomas was most cordially anxious for the perfection of Mr. Crawford's character in that point.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
My liveliness and your solidity would produce perfection.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
These people are most excellent mathematicians, and arrived to a great perfection in mechanics, by the countenance and encouragement of the emperor, who is a renowned patron of learning.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
You will have the chance to see people you’ve not seen in a long time and find it exciting, and you can give your work a second look to polish it to perfection.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
