as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
an idealist attempt to make a go of a mom-and-pop hardware store on Main Street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dreamer
one whose conduct is guided more by the image of perfection than by the real world
an idealist sees the best in everyone, regardless of how they behave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idealist
Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
In each episode, Kaplan argues that although hubris, ambition, and hatred always lurk in the background, the knowledge of human imperfection and the limits of progress can liberate people to seek greater self-awareness and avoid idealist misadventures.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Jodie Platt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
The film follows Vidya, a single mother and idealist who moves into Mahalaxmi Apartment as a tenant.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Adjective
The film’s first trailer released on Monday, featuring Adam Driver as an idealist architect up against Giancarlo Esposito as a pragmatist mayor.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
In each episode, Kaplan argues that although hubris, ambition, and hatred always lurk in the background, the knowledge of human imperfection and the limits of progress can liberate people to seek greater self-awareness and avoid idealist misadventures.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Noun
The idealist in me wanted to believe Jill could be right, but the realist in me wasn’t convinced.
—Jodie Platt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
The film follows Vidya, a single mother and idealist who moves into Mahalaxmi Apartment as a tenant.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
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There’s something inexorably romantic and swashbucklingly adventurous about commercial space travel—about normal people, non-astronauts like you and me, well, being astronauts.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
-
The Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or arrange for a romantic oceanfront dinner on the beach.—
Cynthia J Drake,
Southern Living,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Often nobody but the dreamers get hurt when their impossible dreams fall flat.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Set in the surreal world of 1969 San Fernando Valley, the series follows the Chambers family—led by Hampton (Oyelowo), a dreamer recently released from prison, and his wife Astoria (Missick), whose life evolved in his absence.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This idealistic, soulful sign often seeks out a respite that allows for opportunities to reconnect with themselves (mind, body, and soul) in some way—preferably near water, explains astrologer and life coach Lauren DeGolia.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Forgive me if this sounds very idealistic.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Tapping into the endowment may be impractical for several reasons, including that some of it is legally restricted, but also because some of the unrestricted money is tied up in illiquid assets, such as in hedge funds, private equity and real estate that can’t be easily sold.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Blockchain might revolutionize insurance claim processing while proving impractical for emergency communications.—
Chloe Demrovsky,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There would be adverts for iPhones that were utopian with interesting-looking people smiling holding these shiny devices.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
-
But Scott also looked at German scientific forestry; collective farming in the Soviet Union and Tanzania; utopian city planning in Chandigarh, India, and in Brasília; and Vladimir Lenin’s theories about the formation of revolutionary parties.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet there was an ideological war burbling underneath, all revolving around the question of what government exists to do.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2025
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This is obviously tendentious—nor does Stewart mean it entirely seriously—but, then, Lincoln, like Jesus, is easily made to conform to whatever ideological need the historian brings to him.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There is a difference between quixotic and foolish.—
Ilan Stavans,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Our devastation of nature is so deep and vast that to reverse its effects, on any front, often entails efforts that are so painstaking and quixotic as to border on the ridiculous.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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