idealist

¹ide·al·ist

noun \-(ə-)list\

Definition of IDEALIST

1

a : an adherent of a philosophical theory of idealism b : an artist or author who advocates or practices idealism in art or writing

2

: one guided by ideals; especially : one that places ideals before practical considerations

Examples of IDEALIST

1. <an idealist sees the best in everyone, regardless of how they behave>

First Known Use of IDEALIST

1701

Related to IDEALIST

Synonyms: Don Quixote, dreamer, fantast, idealizer, ideologue (also idealogue), romantic, romanticist, utopian, visionary

Antonyms: hardnose, pragmatist, realist

Related Words: emotionalist, sentimentalist; daydreamer, fantasizer, woolgatherer; Micawber, optimist, Pollyanna; do-gooder, reformer; perfectionist; doctrinaire, theorist, thinker

Near Antonyms: cynic, defeatist, pessimist; empiric, empiricist

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Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody