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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Bob Mondello, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025
The demographics have shifted from young idealists to seasoned veterans grappling with institutional weight and responsibility.
—Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 27 May 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
And the film ends, not with glory for its title idealist, but with chaos, and the president of the Senate smiling smugly to himself.
—Bob Mondello, NPR, 2 Apr. 2025
The demographics have shifted from young idealists to seasoned veterans grappling with institutional weight and responsibility.
—Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
-
And a source tells EW that the actor, who also starred on Evil, will play the new object of Andy's romantic affection.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
-
Rent pedal boats and kayaks, take a glass-bottom boat tour, or go on a romantic gondola cruise around the harbor.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Helping to deconstruct stereotypes and opening doors for the next generation of Black storytellers, actors, and dreamers.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
The dreamer remains a great story, a football survivor.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
This is not an idealistic concept; there are programs in the U.S. that link food systems to human health.—
Alana Sandel,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Mark your calendars because this summer is about to get lit — especially as responsible Saturn, idealistic Neptune, and transformational Pluto alchemize with Uranus, bringing extreme makeovers to many aspects of our lives and to the world at large.—
Lisa Stardust,
refinery29.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Agent deployment is impractical, while VDI introduces performance penalties and complexity.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
Adelman, who will preside over her trial, suggested in the June 18 hearing that the current schedule was impractical.—
Daniel Bice,
jsonline.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Arcane focuses on the story between two sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), who soon become embroiled in a conflict within their utopian society.—
Ryan Fleming,
Deadline,
10 June 2025
-
People always wanted more-more-more from Sly, based on the utopian promises of his songs.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
When these systems prioritize power, resource control, or ideological purity over human well-being, suffering becomes an inevitable byproduct.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
-
Kagan offered potential insight into why the court has split along ideological lines on some of those cases.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
Since then, Anna has embarked on a quixotic mission to pursue the objects.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
24 July 2025
-
While nothing gets a marketer’s heart racing like the quixotic desire to overcome scarcity, the vanishing dollar demos should discourage this kind of self-defeating strategy.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share