perfect – English adjective declension

English adjective forms of perfect

Adjective: perfect

Comparison Forms

Synthetic

Comparativeperfecter
Superlativeperfectest

Perifrastic

Comparativemore perfect
Superlativemost perfect

Sample Sentences

  • a perfect circle
  • That bucket with the hole in the bottom is a poor bucket, but it is perfect for watering plants.
  • The gymnast performed a perfect somersault.
  • I think I'm in love—I can't stop thinking about her. She's perfect!
  • We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. [1787, Gouverneur Morris, Preamble to the United States Constitution:]
  • The expert forger made a perfect copy of the victim's driver's license
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • word-perfect, letter-perfect
  • Our Battaile is more full of Names then yours, / Our Men more perfect in the vse of Armes, / Our Armor all as strong, our Cause the best [c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], lines 152–154:]
  • a perfect day
  • And was the day of my delight
  • ⁠As pure and perfect as I say?
  • ⁠The very source and fount of Day
  • Is dash’d with wandering isles of night. [1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 41:]
  • They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too. [1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:]
  • Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace [1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 37:37:]
  • 6 is perfect because the sum of its proper divisors, 1, 2, and 3, which is 6, is equal to the number itself.
  • perfect fifth
  • a perfect Manhattan
  • a perfect Rob Roy
  • I am perfect that the Pannonians and Dalmatians for their liberties are now in arms. [1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:]
  • My fault being nothing—as I have told you oft— / But that two villains, whose false oaths prevail'd / Before my perfect honour, swore to Cymbeline / I was confederate with the Romans: so / Follow'd my banishment [1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:]
  • My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly. [c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:]
  • Pray, do not mock me. / I am a very foolish fond old man, / Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less / And, to deal plainly, / I fear I am not in my perfect mind. [c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii]:]

Adjectives inflected like perfect

wholsom, seldom, scared, solemn, silent, beloved, uptight, perfect, useless, up-tight, selfish, distinct, discreet, Dutch, reckless, bumfuck, worthless, slender, faithfull, shallow, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)

Etymology

1. From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). The spelling was modified in the 15th century to conform to its Latin etymon. Doublet of parfait, perfecto, and perfectus.
2. Displaced native Old English fulfremed. See: Latin Adjectives 'perfectus'.

Verbs referencing "perfect"

Spanish Adjectives perfecto.