i·de·a
(ī-dḗə)
[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek.]
noun
- Something, such as a thought or conception, that potentially or actually exists in the mind as a product of mental activity.
- An opinion, conviction, or principle: has some strange political ideas.
- A plan, scheme, or method.
- The gist of a specific situation; significance: The idea is to finish the project under budget.
- A notion; a fancy.
- Music A theme or motif.
- Philosophy
- In the philosophy of Plato, an archetype of which a corresponding being in phenomenal reality is an imperfect replica.
- In the philosophy of Kant, a concept of reason that is transcendent but nonempirical.
- In the philosophy of Hegel, absolute truth; the complete and ultimate product of reason.
- Obsolete A mental image of something remembered.
derivatives
- i·déa·less
- adjective
synonyms:
idea, thought, notion, concept, conception These nouns refer to what is formed or represented in the mind as the product of mental activity. Idea has the widest range: “Human history is in essence a history of ideas” (H.G. Wells) Thought is distinctively intellectual and stresses contemplation and reasoning: “Language is the dress of thought” (Samuel Johnson) Notion often refers to a vague, general, or even fanciful idea: “She certainly has some notion of drawing” (Rudyard Kipling) Concept and conception are applied to mental formulations on a broad scale: You seem to have absolutely no concept of time. “Every succeeding scientific discovery makes greater nonsense of old-time conceptions of sovereignty” (Anthony Eden)
