These words refer to something that is the ultimate of its kind. Perfect suggests completeness and lack of blemish; it may refer to something imaginary or, hyperbolically, to something that exists: the perfect wife; having spent a perfect evening. It can also mean utterly typical when referring to something that exists: a perfect example of romanesque architecture. It may refer to negative attributes as well as positive, in this case stressing total demerit: a perfect fool; a perfect villain. Flawless relates closely to that aspect of perfect which emphasizes lack of blemish: a flawless ruby. But flawless , unlike perfect , tends only to suggest a mere absence of negative qualities. Because of this, it is not used to indicate total imperfection; rarely would one find a reference to a flawless fool. Furthermore, something can be flawless and yet far from perfect : a flawless but mediocre performance.

Consummate is closely related to perfect in its sense of ultimate completeness: a consummate pianist. Here it gives an added overtone of slow maturation through disciplined effort. Like flawless , it does not usually refer to imagined excellence, largely because it stresses actually achieved qualities. Unlike flawless , it is often used to suggest total badness, like perfect: a consummate liar.

Ideal has the most strongly positive implications of any of these words. It suggests the greatest excellence that one can imagine: an ideal democracy that would require ideal citizens. If used to describe something that exists, the resulting hyperbole invites disbelief: the divorce that ended what everyone thought was an ideal marriage. As with flawless , it would make little sense to speak of ideal badness. While the word can mean archetypal in the philosophy of Platonism, this specialized use does not intrude into other meanings. Ideal , in general, is stronger than perfect because something may be typical, complete or without blemish, and still be far form ideal. Of course, in ordinary use, these two words and the others are sometimes devalued to mean anything pleasant: a perfect evening; an ideal holiday spot.