make the perfect the enemy of the good

verb

To reject or bar improvement because it is incomplete.

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Meanings

verbmake the perfect the enemy of the good (third-person singular simple present makes the perfect the enemy of the good, present participle making the perfect the enemy of the good, simple past and past participle made the perfect the enemy of the good)

present singular third person makes the perfect the enemy of the good · participle present making the perfect the enemy of the good · participle past made the perfect the enemy of the good · past made the perfect the enemy of the good

  1. intransitiveTo reject or bar improvement because it is incomplete.

Translations

Russian от добра́ добра́ не и́щут
  • от добра́ добра́ не и́щут (ot dobrá dobrá ne íščut)Translations
Swedish göra det bästa till det godas fiende, det bästa är det godas fiende
  • göra det bästa till det godas fiendeTranslations
  • det bästa är det godas fiendeTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

make the perfect the enemy of the good. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20perfect%20the%20enemy%20of%20the%20good

MLA

“make the perfect the enemy of the good.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20perfect%20the%20enemy%20of%20the%20good. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make the perfect the enemy of the good,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20the%20perfect%20the%20enemy%20of%20the%20good.

Source: make the perfect the enemy of the good on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.