idea
An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
Other meanings
An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.
“The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.”
More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking.
Related words
- get the wrong idea
- counteridea
- ideaed
- ideaful
- ideagenous
- ideahood
- idealess
- ideamonger
- ideascape
- ideathon
- monoideism
- nonidea
Example sentences
Word history
From Ancient Greek "ἰδέα" (notion, pattern).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “idea” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.