Deal vs. Ideal — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 21, 2024
"Deal" typically refers to an agreement or transaction, often involving negotiation, whereas "ideal" denotes a state of perfection or an optimal standard.
Difference Between Deal and Ideal
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Deal is a practical term, generally associated with business transactions or agreements that are negotiated between parties. Whereas ideal refers to a concept or standard that embodies the best possible scenario or highest excellence.
Deal often implies a compromise or settlement reached after discussion, where both sides might give and take to reach a mutually acceptable conclusion. On the other hand, ideal represents a theoretical or imagined state of perfection that may not always be attainable.
Deal can be used in everyday situations ranging from simple purchases to complex corporate mergers. Whereas ideal is often used to describe personal goals, moral values, or benchmarks in quality and performance.
Deal focuses on the reality of achieving an agreement or outcome, often under constraints of current resources and conditions. While ideal suggests a flawless model or example that serves as a goal or principle to aspire to.
Deal is about negotiating terms and reaching practical agreements that are enforceable and specific. Whereas ideal is aspirational, guiding actions and decisions towards what is considered the best or most desired.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
An agreement reached between parties.
A perfect standard or aspiration.
Usage Context
Business, negotiations, practical agreements.
Goals, morals, perfection, theoretical concepts.
Nature
Pragmatic, often involves compromise.
Aspirational, often unattainable.
Focus
Achieving a practical outcome.
Pursuing an exemplary model or standard.
Key Characteristics
Negotiation, enforceability, specificity.
Perfection, inspiration, guiding principles.
Compare with Definitions
Deal
A deal in business usually involves negotiations to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
They struck a deal to merge their companies.
Ideal
Personal ideals guide individual behavior and choices.
Living up to her ideals, she volunteered at the shelter every weekend.
Deal
Real estate deals often include discussions on price and terms of sale.
The deal on the house was finalized after weeks of negotiation.
Ideal
In literature, characters often strive to achieve an idealized state or condition.
The protagonist's quest was to find the ideal society.
Deal
Daily deals on products highlight temporary offers to attract customers.
The store offered a deal on electronics for one day only.
Ideal
Technological advancements often strive towards an ideal of efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
The new model of this car is the ideal blend of performance and eco-friendliness.
Deal
In colloquial terms, a deal can also mean an agreement in principle.
It’s a deal; I’ll help you with your project if you assist me with mine.
Ideal
An ideal situation is often one where everything aligns perfectly with one's hopes or standards.
The ideal job for her would allow telecommuting and flexible hours.
Deal
Political deals can involve compromises to pass legislation.
Lawmakers reached a deal to support the new policy.
Ideal
In philosophy, ideals represent concepts of moral and ethical perfection.
His actions were far from the ideal of truthfulness.
Deal
To give out in shares or portions; apportion
A critic who deals out as much praise as blame.
Ideal
Satisfying one's conception of what is perfect; most suitable
This is an ideal opportunity to save money
The swimming pool is ideal for a quick dip
Deal
To distribute (playing cards) among players.
Ideal
Existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality
In an ideal world, we might have made a different decision
Deal
To give (a specific card) to a player while so distributing.
Ideal
A person or thing regarded as perfect
You're my ideal of how a man should be
Deal
To sell
Deal prescriptions.
Deal cocaine.
Ideal
A conception of something in its absolute perfection
The ideal of national unity.
Deal
To administer; deliver
Dealt him a blow to the stomach.
Ideal
One that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence
The restaurant is considered the ideal in fine dining.
Deal
To be occupied or concerned
A book that deals with the Middle Ages.
Ideal
An ultimate or worthy object of endeavor; a goal
"those who regarded even a rhetorical commitment to the ideal of disarmament as irresponsibly utopian" (James Carroll).
Deal
To behave in a specified way toward another or others; have transactions
Deal honestly with competitors.
Ideal
Conforming to a standard of perfection or excellence; perfect or highly satisfactory
An ideal work environment.
Deal
To take action with respect to someone or something
The committee will deal with this complaint.
Ideal
Existing only in the mind; imaginary
An ideal world where everything works out fine.
Deal
(Informal) To cope
I can't deal with all of this arguing!.
Ideal
Lacking practicality or the possibility of realization
An ideal notion of how businesses are run.
Deal
To do business; trade
Dealing in diamonds.
Ideal
Existing as an archetype or pattern, especially as a Platonic idea or perception
The ideal forms.
Deal
(Games) To distribute playing cards.
Ideal
Of or relating to idealism.
Deal
(Slang) To buy and sell drugs, especially illegally.
Ideal
Optimal; being the best possibility.
Deal
(Baseball) To throw a pitch.
Ideal
Perfect, flawless, having no defects.
Deal
The act or a round of apportioning or distributing.
Ideal
Pertaining to ideas, or to a given idea.
Deal
Distribution of playing cards.
Ideal
Existing only in the mind; conceptual, imaginary.
Deal
The cards so distributed; a hand.
Ideal
Teaching or relating to the doctrine of idealism.
The ideal theory or philosophy
Deal
The right or turn of a player to distribute the cards.
Ideal
(mathematics) Not actually present, but considered as present when limits at infinity are included.
Ideal point
An ideal triangle in the hyperbolic disk is one bounded by three geodesics that meet precisely on the circle.
Deal
The playing of one hand.
Ideal
A perfect standard of beauty, intellect etc., or a standard of excellence to aim at.
Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny - Carl Schurz
Deal
An indefinite quantity, extent, or degree
Has a great deal of experience.
Ideal
A subring closed under multiplication by its containing ring.
Let be the ring of integers and let be its ideal of even integers. Then the quotient ring is a Boolean ring.
The product of two ideals and is an ideal which is a subset of the intersection of and . This should help to understand why maximal ideals are prime ideals. Likewise, the union of and is a subset of .
Deal
An agreement, especially one that is mutually beneficial.
Ideal
A non-empty lower set (of a partially ordered set) which is closed under binary suprema (a.k.a. joins).
Deal
A business transaction
Struck a deal to buy a car dealership.
Ideal
(set theory) A collection of sets, considered small or negligible, such that every subset of each member and the union of any two members are also members of the collection.
Formally, an ideal of a given set is a nonempty subset of the powerset such that: , and .
Deal
A legal contract
Signed a deal to play for a new team.
Ideal
A Lie subalgebra (subspace that is closed under the Lie bracket) 𝖍 of a given Lie algebra 𝖌 such that the Lie bracket [𝖌,𝖍] is a subset of 𝖍.
Deal
(Informal) A sale favorable especially to the buyer; a bargain.
Ideal
(algebra) A subsemigroup with the property that if any semigroup element outside of it is added to any one of its members, the result must lie outside of it.
The set of natural numbers with multiplication as the monoid operation (instead of addition) has multiplicative ideals, such as, for example, the set {1, 3, 9, 27, 81, ...}. If any member of it is multiplied by a number which is not a power of 3 then the result will not be a power of three.
Deal
(Informal) Treatment received
A raw deal.
A fair deal.
Ideal
Existing in idea or thought; conceptional; intellectual; mental; as, ideal knowledge.
Deal
(Informal) The situation or background information regarding something
What's the deal with the new teacher?.
Ideal
Reaching an imaginary standard of excellence; fit for a model; faultless; as, ideal beauty.
There will always be a wide interval between practical and ideal excellence.
Deal
A fir or pine board cut to standard dimensions.
Ideal
Existing in fancy or imagination only; visionary; unreal.
Deal
Such boards or planks considered as a group.
Ideal
Teaching the doctrine of idealism; as, the ideal theory or philosophy.
Deal
Fir or pine wood.
Ideal
Imaginary.
Deal
(obsolete) A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
We gave three deals of grain in tribute to the king.
Ideal
A mental conception regarded as a standard of perfection; a model of excellence, beauty, etc.
The ideal is to be attained by selecting and assembling in one whole the beauties and perfections which are usually seen in different individuals, excluding everything defective or unseemly, so as to form a type or model of the species. Thus, the Apollo Belvedere is the ideal of the beauty and proportion of the human frame.
Deal
(often followed by of) An indefinite quantity or amount; a lot (now usually qualified by great or good).
Ideal
The idea of something that is perfect; something that one hopes to attain
Deal
An act of dealing or sharing out.
Ideal
Model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
Deal
(card games) The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this.
I didn’t have a good deal all evening.
I believe it's your deal.
Ideal
Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
Deal
A particular instance of trading (buying or selling; exchanging; bartering); a transaction.
We need to finalise the deal with Henderson by midnight.
Recognizing the societal deal between capital and labor regarding retirement savings
Ideal
Constituting or existing only in the form of an idea or mental image or conception;
A poem or essay may be typical of its period in idea or ideal content
Deal
(in particular) A transaction offered which is financially beneficial; a bargain.
Ideal
Of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas
Deal
An agreement between parties; an arrangement.
He made a deal with the devil.
Deal
(informal) A situation, occasion, or event.
What's the deal here?
Their new movie is the biggest deal of the year.
I don't think that's such a big deal.
Deal
(informal) A thing, an unspecified or unidentified object.
The deal with four tines is called a pitchfork.
Deal
(uncountable) Wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir).
Deal
(countable) A plank of softwood (fir or pine board).
Deal
A wooden board or plank, usually between 12 or 14 feet in length, traded as a commodity in shipbuilding.
Deal
(a) Male genitalia.
He saw my deal!
Deal
(transitive) To distribute among a number of recipients, to give out as one’s portion or share.
The fighting is over; now we deal out the spoils of victory.
Deal
(transitive) To administer or give out, as in small portions.
Deal
(ambitransitive) To distribute cards to the players in a game.
I was dealt four aces.
The cards were shuffled, and the croupier dealt.
Deal
(transitive) deliver damage, a blow, strike or cut. To inflict.
The boxer was dealt a blow to the head.
Deal
(baseball) To pitch.
The whole crowd waited for him to deal a real humdinger.
Deal
(intransitive) To have dealings or business.
Deal
(intransitive) To conduct oneself, to behave.
Deal
To take action; to act.
Deal
(intransitive) To trade professionally (followed by in).
She deals in gold.
Deal
(ambitransitive) To sell, especially to sell illicit drugs.
This club takes a dim view of members who deal drugs.
Deal
(intransitive) To be concerned with.
Deal
(intransitive) To handle, to manage, to cope.
I can't deal with this.
Deal
Made of deal.
A plain deal table
Deal
A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold.
Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour.
As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power.
She was resolved to be a good deal more circumspect.
Deal
The process of dealing cards to the players; also, the portion disturbed.
The deal, the shuffle, and the cut.
Deal
Distribution; apportionment.
Deal
An arrangement to attain a desired result by a combination of interested parties; - applied to stock speculations and political bargains.
Deal
The division of a piece of timber made by sawing; a board or plank; particularly, a board or plank of fir or pine above seven inches in width, and exceeding six feet in length. If narrower than this, it is called a batten; if shorter, a deal end.
Deal
Wood of the pine or fir; as, a floor of deal.
Deal
To divide; to separate in portions; hence, to give in portions; to distribute; to bestow successively; - sometimes with out.
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry?
And Rome deals out her blessings and her gold.
The nightly mallet deals resounding blows.
Hissing through the skies, the feathery deaths were dealt.
Deal
Specifically: To distribute, as cards, to the players at the commencement of a game; as, to deal the cards; to deal one a jack.
Deal
To make distribution; to share out in portions, as cards to the players.
Deal
To do a distributing or retailing business, as distinguished from that of a manufacturer or producer; to traffic; to trade; to do business; as, he deals in flour.
They buy and sell, they deal and traffic.
This is to drive to wholesale trade, when all other petty merchants deal but for parcels.
Deal
To act as an intermediary in business or any affairs; to manage; to make arrangements; - followed by between or with.
Sometimes he that deals between man and man, raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either.
Deal
To conduct one's self; to behave or act in any affair or towards any one; to treat.
If he will deal clearly and impartially, . . . he will acknowledge all this to be true.
Deal
To contend (with); to treat (with), by way of opposition, check, or correction; as, he has turbulent passions to deal with.
The deacons of his church, who, to use their own phrase, "dealt with him" on the sin of rejecting the aid which Providence so manifestly held out.
Return . . . and I will deal well with thee.
Deal
A particular instance of buying or selling;
It was a package deal
I had no further trade with him
He's a master of the business deal
Deal
An agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each;
He made a bargain with the devil
He rose to prominence through a series of shady deals
Deal
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
A batch of letters
A deal of trouble
A lot of money
He made a mint on the stock market
It must have cost plenty
Deal
A plank of softwood (fir or pine board)
Deal
Wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir)
Deal
The cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time;
I didn't hold a good hand all evening
He kept trying to see my hand
Deal
The type of treatment received (especially as the result of an agreement);
He got a good deal on his car
Deal
The act of distributing playing cards;
The deal was passed around the table clockwise
Deal
The act of apportioning or distributing something;
The captain was entrusted with the deal of provisions
Deal
Deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression;
This book deals with incest
The course covered all of Western Civilization
The new book treats the history of China
Deal
Take action with respect to (someone or something);
How are we going to deal with this problem?
The teacher knew how to deal with these lazy students
Deal
Take into consideration for exemplifying purposes;
Take the case of China
Consider the following case
Deal
Come to terms or deal successfully with;
We got by on just a gallon of gas
They made do on half a loaf of bread every day
Deal
Administer or bestow, as in small portions;
Administer critical remarks to everyone present
Dole out some money
Shell out pocket money for the children
Deal a blow to someone
Deal
Do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood;
She deals in gold
The brothers sell shoes
Deal
Be in charge of, act on, or dispose of;
I can deal with this crew of workers
This blender can't handle nuts
She managed her parents' affairs after they got too old
Deal
Behave in a certain way towards others;
He deals fairly with his employees
Deal
Distribute to the players in a game;
Who's dealing?
Deal
Direct the course of; manage or control;
You cannot conduct business like this
Deal
Give out as one's portion or share
Deal
Give (a specific card) to a player;
He dealt me the Queen of Spades
Deal
Sell;
Deal hashish
Deal
Made of fir or pine;
A plain deal table
Common Curiosities
How does a deal differ from an ideal in business
In business, a deal is a negotiated agreement with specific terms, while an ideal represents a theoretical best outcome or practice.
What does 'ideal' mean
Ideal refers to a state or condition of perfection, serving as a model of excellence or desirable standard.
Why is it important to understand the difference between a deal and an ideal
Understanding the difference helps in setting realistic expectations in negotiations and striving for high standards without being unrealistic.
How do deals impact business growth
Deals can directly impact business growth by opening new opportunities, establishing partnerships, and securing resources.
Can a deal reflect an ideal
A deal can reflect an ideal if it closely aligns with the ethical and perfection standards of the parties involved.
What is an example of an ideal in education
An ideal in education might be providing personalized learning experiences that cater to each student's needs and potential.
What is the meaning of 'deal'
A deal refers to an agreement or arrangement, often involving a transaction or negotiation.
What role do ideals play in personal development
Ideals guide personal growth by setting high moral, ethical, or professional standards to aspire towards.
How do cultural differences influence ideals
Cultural backgrounds significantly influence what is considered ideal in different societies, affecting values and behaviors.
Can an ideal be achieved in real-life situations
While ideals serve as benchmarks or goals, they are often aspirational and can be challenging to achieve fully in real-life situations.
Is it practical to always aim for the ideal
While aiming for ideals can be motivating, it is also important to be pragmatic and adaptable to real-world constraints.
How do ideals influence laws and governance
Ideals can guide the drafting of laws and policies, aiming to reflect societal values and aspirations for justice and equality.
Are ideals the same across different fields
Ideals can vary significantly across different fields, reflecting specific aspirations and standards unique to each domain.
How can businesses balance deals and ideals
Businesses balance by negotiating deals that align as closely as possible with their ideals while remaining viable and competitive.
What are the risks of pursuing an ideal
Pursuing an ideal without flexibility can lead to disappointment or failure due to its potentially unattainable nature.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
