idea.
An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
Meaning & usage
An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.
The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic.
An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.
The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.
More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking.
A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention.
I have an idea of how we might escape.
A purposeful aim or goal; intent.
Yeah, that's the idea.
A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression.
He had the wild idea that if he leant forward a little, he might be able to touch the mountain-top.
A musical theme or melodic subject.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyd-der. Ancient Greek ῐ̓δεῖν (ĭdeîn) Ancient Greek ῐ̓δέᾱ (ĭdéā)der. Latin ideabor. English idea Borrowed from Latin idea (“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “to see”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know; see”). Cognate with French idée. Doublet of idée. Related to idol, idolum, and eidolon.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.