beau ideal

American  

noun

plural

beaus ideal, beaux ideal, beau ideals

1. a conception of perfect beauty.

2. a model of excellence.

---

beau idéal British  

/ bo ideal /

noun

1. perfect beauty or excellence

---

Etymology

Origin of beau ideal

First recorded in 1795–1805, beau ideal is from French beau idéal literally, “ideal beauty.” See beau, ideal

Example Sentences

When I ask for his American political beau ideal, he says Alexander Hamilton.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Their friendship was the beau ideal of warrior comrades.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2022

Lipsyte: One of the reasons that the older reporters were antagonistic to him, besides the fact that he wasn’t laconic like Joe Louis, their beau ideal, was the unorthodoxy of his style.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2016

Or so goes the famous line by Irving Howe, the beau ideal of the politically engaged writer and a founder of the left-wing intellectual magazine Dissent.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2014

I must demand of my reader that he come to the perusal, the beau ideal of a juryman.

From Cannibals all! or, Slaves without masters by Fitzhugh, George