perfect
[ adjective, noun pur-fikt; verb per-fekt ]
/ adjective, noun ˈpɜr fɪkt; verb pərˈfɛkt /
adjective
noun Grammar.
the perfect tense.
a verb form or construction in the perfect tense.
Compare future perfect, pluperfect, present perfect.
verb (used with object)
Origin of perfect
synonym study for perfect
1, 2. See
complete.
usage note for perfect
A few usage guides still object to the use of comparison words such as
more, most, nearly, almost, and
rather with
perfect on the grounds that
perfect describes an absolute, yes-or-no condition that cannot logically be said to exist in varying degrees. The English language has never agreed to this limitation. Since its earliest use in the 13th century,
perfect has, like almost all adjectives, been compared, first in the now obsolete forms
perfecter and
perfectest, and more recently with
more, most, and similar comparison words:
the most perfect arrangement of color and line imaginable.
Perfect is compared in most of its general senses in all varieties of speech and writing. After all, one of the objectives of the writers of the U.S. Constitution was “to form a more perfect union.” See also
complete,
unique.
OTHER WORDS FROM perfect
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH perfect
perfect prefectWords nearby perfect
Example sentences from the Web for perfect
British Dictionary definitions for perfect
perfect
adjective (ˈpɜːfɪkt)
noun (ˈpɜːfɪkt)
grammar
- the perfect tense
- a verb in this tense
verb (pəˈfɛkt) (tr)
Derived forms of perfect
perfectness, nounWord Origin for perfect
C13: from Latin
perfectus, from
perficere to perform, from
per through +
facere to do
usage for perfect
For most of its meanings, the adjective
perfect describes an absolute state, i.e. one that cannot be qualified; thus something is either
perfect or
not perfect, and cannot be
more perfect or
less perfect. However when
perfect means excellent in all respects, a comparative can be used with it without absurdity:
the next day the weather was even more perfect