consummate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill.
- Synonyms:
- achieve, accomplish, finish, perfect, complete
-
to complete (an arrangement, agreement, or the like) by a pledge or the signing of a contract.
The company consummated its deal to buy a smaller firm.
-
to complete (the union of a marriage) by the first marital sexual intercourse.
adjective
-
complete or perfect; supremely skilled; superb.
a consummate master of the violin.
- Antonyms:
- unfinished, imperfect
-
being of the highest or most extreme degree.
a work of consummate skill; an act of consummate savagery.
verb
-
to bring to completion or perfection; fulfil
-
to complete (a marriage) legally by sexual intercourse
adjective
-
accomplished or supremely skilled
a consummate artist
-
(prenominal) (intensifier)
a consummate fool
Other Word Forms
- consummately adverb
- consummation noun
- consummative adjective
- consummator noun
- consummatory adjective
- half-consummated adjective
- unconsummate adjective
- unconsummated adjective
- unconsummately adverb
- unconsummative adjective
Etymology
Origin of consummate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (adjective), from Latin consummātus “completed,” past participle of consummāre “to complete, bring to perfection,” from con- con- + summ(a) sum + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mueller is a "consummate professional and a straight shooter," then-FBI chief Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, said in July 2019.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
And this was a consummate display, cool and measured with a ruthless edge, even if it came against this dreadfully poor Spurs side.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
In no time at all, Foster’s consummate commitment and Zlotowski’s fabulous directorial style turn the language aspect into an afterthought.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026
The captains of such ships were the rock stars of their day, consummate seamen who risked their lives on the open oceans for wealth and fame.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025
But Hodges quickly proved to be a consummate politician of the Southern progressive type, using words like “compromise” and “understanding” while adroitly undermining any real change in the status quo.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
