perfection

perfection — noun

1. a condition in which nothing seems missing, wrong, or weak, and something appear

1.名詞C1
釋義

a condition in which nothing seems missing, wrong, or weak, and something appears as good as it can be.

例句

The young skater chased perfection in every turn of her short program.

collocation: chase / strive for perfection

After weeks of sanding, the table came close to perfection.

pattern: come close to perfection

同義詞
  • excellence

    high quality, but it does not always suggest being completely without faults

  • flawlessness

    very close in meaning, with stronger focus on the absence of defects

  • ideal

    can refer to an imagined standard rather than a real result

反義詞
  • imperfection

    a small fault or the state of not being fully perfect

  • defect

    a specific fault in one part of something

文法句型

close to perfection

strive for perfection

a picture of perfection

用法筆記

Usually uncountable when it means an ideal state or quality. Distinguish from sense 2 (DONE EXACTLY): that sense appears mainly in the fixed phrase 'to perfection' after an action such as cooking or timing.

常見錯誤

❌Her piano playing is a perfection.
✅Her piano playing is perfection.
💡this abstract sense is usually uncountable.
❌The chef cooked the duck in perfection.
✅The chef cooked the duck to perfection.
💡use sense 2 in the fixed phrase 'to perfection' after an action.

2. used after 'to' to say that something was done with exactly the right result, es

2.名詞C1
釋義

used after 'to' to say that something was done with exactly the right result, especially in cooking, timing, or careful preparation.

例句

The chef grilled the river fish to perfection over hot coals.

pattern: verb + to perfection

Mina timed the joke to perfection, and the whole bus laughed.

shows timing with to perfection

同義詞
  • perfectly

    the usual adverb equivalent, though it is not tied to the fixed phrase

  • beautifully

    praises the result, but it may focus more on style than exactness

  • just right

    more informal and common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • poorly

    shows that the action was done badly

  • roughly

    suggests a less careful or unfinished result

文法句型

verb + to perfection

用法筆記

Almost always follows 'to' and comes after a verb. Common with actions that can be judged for exact quality, such as cook, time, clean, press, or polish.

常見錯誤

❌The fish was cooked in perfection.
✅The fish was cooked to perfection.
💡the fixed preposition is 'to', not 'in'.
❌The dish reached perfectionly.
✅The dish was done to perfection.
💡use the noun phrase 'to perfection', not a made-up adverb.

3. the last stage of improving something, where small problems are removed and the

3.名詞C2
釋義

the last stage of improving something, where small problems are removed and the work is brought to its highest standard.

例句

Months of testing led to the perfection of the new safety alarm.

pattern: the perfection of + noun

Her final week in the studio focused on the perfection of tiny details.

同義詞
  • refinement

    careful improvement, often of style or technique, without always implying an end point

  • polishing

    more informal and often used for final small improvements

  • completion

    focuses on finishing the work, not necessarily making it excellent

反義詞
  • neglect

    lack of care or improvement

  • deterioration

    a process in which something becomes worse instead of better

文法句型

the perfection of + design / method / system

用法筆記

More formal than simple words like 'improvement' or 'polishing'. Distinguish from sense 1 (NO FLAWS): sense 1 names the finished state, while this sense names the work of getting there.

常見錯誤

❌The team spent months on perfection the app.
✅The team spent months on the perfection of the app.
💡this formal sense usually needs 'the perfection of + noun'.