
idea | idea: n. 1 concept, conception, construct, thought, notion, plan, design, scheme, suggestion, recommendation: Is that your idea of a good singing voice? Peter has an excellent idea for increasing sales. 2 notion, fancy, impression, picture, (mental) image, concept, conception, perception, understanding, awareness, apprehension, inkling, suspicion, hint, suggestion, approximation, clue, intimation, guess, estimate, estimation, impression: I haven''t the slightest idea what you are talking about. Can you give us any idea of the cause of the delay? 3 belief, opinion, sentiment, feeling, teaching(s), doctrine, tenet, principle, philosophy, view, viewpoint, outlook, notion, conviction, position, stance: Western and Eastern ideas differ as to the role of women in society. 4 aim, goal, purpose, objective, object, end, point, reason, raison d''�tre: What was the idea of telling the teacher? The idea behind the scheme was to boost sales. The idea of the game is to capture your opponent''s king. 5 hypothesis, theory, notion, dream, fantasy or phantasy: His invention is based on the idea of an anti-gravity device.
ideal | ideal: n. 1 model, paragon, standard, criterion, paradigm, exemplar, pattern, example, epitome: She regarded Florence Nightingale as her ideal. 2 acme, (standard of) perfection, nonpareil: The ideal can rarely be achieved, so you had better settle for reality. 3 ideals. principles, morals, standards: Everyone''s ideals are compromised sooner or later. --adj. 4 perfect, excellent, supreme, consummate, complete, model, idyllic: This is an ideal home for a young couple. 5 conceptual, imagined, imaginary, unreal, visionary, idealistic, fictitious, Utopian, notional, mythical or mythic, fantasy, dream, romantic, chimeric(al), illusory, fanciful, fancied: In his ideal world there is no crime, so there is no need for police.
idealistic | idealistic: adj. visionary, romantic, romanticized, optimistic, starry-eyed, quixotic, Panglossian, impractical, unrealistic: He is idealistic enough to believe that people are basically good.
idealize | idealize: v. exalt, elevate, glorify, worship, ennoble, deify, apotheosize, put on a pedestal, romanticize: Because she idealizes him, she cannot see his true nature.
ideally | ideally: adv. 1 under or in the best of circumstances, at best, in a perfect world, all things being equal: Ideally, February is the time to holiday in the Caribbean. 2 theoretically, in theory, in principle: Ideally, people ought to have money before they are too old to enjoy it. 3 perfectly: John and Marsha are ideally suited to each other.
identical | identical: adj. 1 same, twin, duplicate, indistinguishable, interchangeable; selfsame: The two leaves look identical to me. The duchess and I had the identical suite at the hotel, but a week apart. 2 similar, matching, like, alike, comparable, equal, equivalent, corresponding: The children are dressed in identical clothing.
identification | identification: n. 1 connection, recognition, distinguishing, indication, perception, detection, selection, naming, labelling, pinpointing, designation, characterization, denomination; authentication, verification, establishment, certification, substantiation, corroboration, Colloq fingering: Her identification of him as her attacker is not sufficient to convict him. 2 classification, classifying, cataloguing, categorization, categorizing, pigeon-holing: How much time is needed for the identification of the minerals in the moon rocks? 3 ID, ID card, identity card, badge, credentials: Only up-to-date identification will be accepted as proof of ownership. 4 connection, association, affiliation, empathy, sympathy, rapport, relationship: His continued identification with comic-book heroes is immature.
identify | identify: v. 1 classify, categorize, catalogue, pigeon-hole, sort (out), specify, pinpoint, home (in) on, name, label, tag, recognize, place, mark, label, tag, pinpoint, single out, point out, Colloq put one''s finger on: We are unable to identify the butterfly you caught. 2 connect, associate, relate, ally: She is closely identified with the success of the enterprise. 3 diagnose, specify, name, recognize: From the symptoms, the doctor identified the disease as bubonic plague. 4 Usually, identify with. empathize (with), sympathize (with), relate (to), Colloq dig: His problem is that he identifies too closely with his dog.
identity | identity: n. 1 sameness, oneness, unanimity, indistinguishability, agreement, accord, congruence: Identity of purpose held them together under stress. 2 personality, individuality, distinctiveness, uniqueness, particularity, singularity: Many who join the army lose their identity.
ideology | ideology: n. belief(s), convictions, tenets, credo, philosophy, principles, creed, dogma, teachings, doctrine: Buddhism had a great influence on his ideology.
idiom | idiom: n. 1 language, tongue, speech, vernacular, dialect, argot, patois, jargon, cant, idiolect, parlance, fa�on de parler, phraseology: The play is written in a rather old-fashioned idiom. 2 expression, (set) phrase, phrasing, locution, clich�: The term red herring , an idiom meaning ''false trail'', is used of something which is neither red nor a herring.
idle | idle: adj. 1 unused, inactive, unoccupied, non-operative, stationary: The looms were idle for months. The devil finds work for idle hands. 2 unemployed, out of work, redundant, jobless, workless, Colloq at leisure, at liberty, between assignments, resting, US on the beach: Unable to find work, Gilbert has been idle for a year. 3 indolent, lazy, listless, lethargic, loafing, slothful, shiftless, lackadaisical, loitering, fain�ant: Since winning the lottery, Crouch has become one of the idle rich. 4 bootless, fruitless, unproductive, abortive, unfruitful, pointless, vain, trifling, trivial, shallow, nugatory, superficial, insignificant, meaningless, senseless, unimportant, frivolous, worthless, useless, otiose, unavailing, futile: We were passing the time at the pub in idle chatter when Michael walked in. He had no factual information to offer, only idle speculation. --v. 5 Often, idle away. waste, fritter away, while away, kill: They idle away the hours lying by the swimming-pool. 6 laze (about), loiter, kill time, loaf, loll, lounge, take it easy, Brit potter or US putter about or away, mess about, fool away, fool around or about, Colloq Brit muck about, bugger about, US lallygag or lollygag, goof off or around, Military slang US gold-brick: Stop idling and get down to work.
idleness | idleness: n. 1 inactivity, inaction, lethargy, torpor, indolence, laziness, sluggishness, sloth, slothfulness, shiftlessness, inertia, lassitude, torpor, fl�nerie, dolce far niente; unemployment, Colloq US lallygagging or lollygagging, Military slang US gold-bricking: The strike created enforced idleness for non-union workers as well. 2 shirking, malingering, dawdling, loafing, time-wasting, lazing, Colloq dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying, Brit skiving: The foreman warned that he would not tolerate idleness.
idler | idler: n. loafer, layabout, slacker, shirker, sluggard, lazybones, slugabed, laggard, dawdler, clock-watcher, drone, slouch, ne''er-do-well, fain�ant, Colloq lounge lizard, Military slang US gold brick or gold-bricker: To fill out a crew we often recruited men from among waterfront idlers.
idly | idly: adv. 1 unproductively, lazily, indolently: She wanders about the shops, idly whiling away the hours. 2 offhandedly, unconsciously, mechanically, thoughtlessly, unthinkingly, obliviously, insensibly, indifferently: He sat quietly, his fingers idly drumming on the tabletop.
idol | idol: n. 1 (graven) image, icon or ikon, effigy, fetish, tiki, symbol: Nebuchadnezzar''s people worshipped golden idols. 2 hero or heroine, superstar, celebrity, luminary, matin�e idol, favourite, pet, darling: When he was a lad his idol was Quatermain, from the Rider Haggard novels.
idolize | idolize: v. adore, admire, adulate, worship, revere, reverence, venerate, put on a pedestal, exalt, glorify, deify, lionize, look up to, apotheosize: She had always idolized her father, and his death came as a terrible blow to her.
idyllic | idyllic: adj. Arcadian, paradisaic(al) or paradisiac(al), heavenly, Edenic, halcyon, ideal, idealized, pastoral, rustic, bucolic, picturesque, charming, unspoilt or unspoiled, peaceful, pacific: He returned to the island to live out his life in idyllic repose.
