perfect
perfect Lexical Profile
perfect Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.
"The crystal-clear water and gentle breeze made for a perfect afternoon at the beach."
Free from any flaw, defect, or blemish in condition or execution; completely accurate or exact.
"The antique porcelain vase remained in perfect condition despite surviving two centuries."
Absolute or complete (used for emphasis before a noun).
"She felt like a perfect stranger when she returned to her childhood neighborhood after thirty years."
Denoting a verb tense or aspect that describes a completed action or state in relation to a specific reference time (in grammar).
"In English grammar, the present perfect construction combines the auxiliary verb 'have' with a past participle."
• verb
To make (something) completely free from faults or defects, or as close to such a condition as possible.
"The violinist spent years practicing in solitude to perfect her bowing technique."
To complete all necessary legal steps to make (a title, right, or security interest) fully effective and enforceable against third parties (in law).
"The bank filed a financing statement with the state secretary to perfect its security interest in the collateral."
• noun
The perfect tense or aspect, or a verb form belonging to it (in grammar).
"Students learning French often confuse the usage of the imperfect and the perfect when narrating past events."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice the stress shift between parts of speech: as an adjective or noun, the stress falls on the first syllable ('PER-fect'), whereas as a verb, the stress falls on the second syllable ('per-FECT'). In strict prescriptive grammar, the adjective 'perfect' is often treated as an absolute that cannot be graded, though comparative and superlative forms ('more perfect', 'most perfect') have long been established in standard literary usage to mean 'closer to perfection'.
• Rhymes for perfect
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 13th century from Old French 'parfit', from Latin 'perfectus' ('completed, excellent, accomplished'), the past participle of 'perficere' ('to finish, bring to full development'), from 'per-' ('completely') + 'facere' ('to make, do').