idea

CEFRA1

/aɪ̯ˈdɪə̯/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A thought, plan, or suggestion about something.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.

Examples

  • It would be a good idea to call before we leave.

  • The last person I told my idea to thought I was nuts.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • [-ˈdeə]
  • [ɑeˈdiə]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic.

  2. 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.

  3. An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.

More examples

In context

  • "What's going on in the cave? I'm curious." "I have no idea."

  • I have an idea of how we might escape.

  • The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She had a brilliant blank for solving the math problem quickly in class.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.