What does ideality mean?
Ideality is a formal noun meaning the quality of being ideal, especially the character of an imagined form of perfection. It often appears in philosophical and aesthetic writing, where an ideal is treated as a standard or model by which imperfect reality can be judged. The word can suggest intellectual or imaginative excellence, but it may also imply distance from practical experience: an ideal may be admirable or persuasive without being attainable. In ordinary argument, ideality can therefore refer either to the appealing purity of a conception or to its impractical separation from real conditions. A proposal may be praised for its ideality while being criticized as unrealistic; a landscape may be valued for its ideality even when the actual place differs from the popular image of it. Although the term is uncommon in everyday speech, it is useful when discussing the relationship between perfection as an ideal and the imperfect world in which ideals are formed and applied.
nounThe quality or condition of being ideal, especially of existing as a conception of perfection rather than as a concrete reality.
- The quality of being ideal, especially the character of something as a model of perfection or an idealized conception rather than an actual thing.
"Her conception of justice was admired for its ideality, though its practical limitations were often debated."
"The essay explores the ideality of natural landscapes, contrasting imagined wilderness with the managed terrain that visitors actually encounter."
"Critics questioned the ideality of the proposal, arguing that its attractive principles did not translate into workable policy."
Rare; the noun is normally used without a plural.
"The competing idealities of equality and individual freedom have shaped modern political thought."
Ideality names a familiar human leap: turning an imagined perfection into the standard by which reality is judged.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ideality come from?
Ideality was formed in English by adding the suffix -ity to ideal, following the productive pattern of English abstract nouns derived from adjectives. Ideal came through French from Latin idealis, meaning “pertaining to an idea,” and ultimately from Greek idea, a form or pattern. The same root also underlies cognates including idea, idealist, and ideate.
How ideality is actually used
Relatively rare and formal, chiefly encountered in philosophical, aesthetic, or critical discussion. It is normally used as an uncountable abstract noun, although the plural is occasionally possible.