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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Winter Spring Summer or Fall — a romantic drama starring Jenna Ortega and her former Wednesday co-star Percy Hynes White — is coming soon to digital streaming and theaters.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Often nobody but the dreamers get hurt when their impossible dreams fall flat.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
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The film follows a young dreamer mistaken for Earth’s ambassador to a cosmic council, blending humor, heart and sci-fi spectacle.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Forgive me if this sounds very idealistic.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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With different work schedules, travel and other family obligations, accommodating the wishes of the one sibling has been impractical.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2025
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Several once-popular home décor styles are now making spaces look outdated or impractical, according to experts.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There would be adverts for iPhones that were utopian with interesting-looking people smiling holding these shiny devices.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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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
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court election is on April 1, and the contest for the seat of retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is technically a nonpartisan race, though whoever wins the seat will help determine the ideological bent of the court -- which currently leans liberal.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2025
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Further, the countries at the receiving end deserve to be spared the insidious effects of ideological colonization.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Or the sudden, quixotic tariffs on Canada and Mexico.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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