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idealist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of idealistnext
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

idealist

2 of 2

noun

ī-ˈdē-(ə-)list How to pronounce idealist (audio)
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

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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
Adjective
This, in turn, becomes logically reliant on the idealist paradigm of Consciousness as the fundamental lowest common denominator of reality. — Carlo Tortora Brayda, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 Labour leader Starmer, though, has taken a realist rather than an idealist approach to the president, putting Britain's foreign policy interests above the strong opposition to Trump in the rank and file of his own party. — Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
Rose is a helper, an idealist desperate for a better world, which for her means decarbonizing the economy by building a better society in the process. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 An idealist could view the competing chatter as throat-clearing typical of a high-stakes labor negotiation. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
  1. romantic
  2. dreamer
  3. idealistic
  4. impractical
  5. utopian
Adjective
  • Her story featured her own original music and an interview with a friend, who is in his 60s, and who has never had a romantic relationship before.
    — Anya Steinberg, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Investigations into how police use the cameras further revealed a national pattern of unsupervised searches allowing officers to stalk romantic interests.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of romantic
Noun
  • Among its most memorable attractions is a historic railroad that once carried artists and archaeologists, dreamers and scientists, some of whom traveled on the train incognito before participating in the top-secret Manhattan Project.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Holbrook sisters are undersocialized and inexperienced with the world, and Herzog sees them as figures out of a fable, dreamers who talk incessantly about love and seem connected to the elemental and the ancient.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dreamer
Adjective
  • That book, which served as a major source for Christopher Nolan’s 2023 blockbuster biopic, Oppenheimer, presented a nuanced portrait of the idealistic, mystically inclined, yet duplicitous and power-seeking nuclear physicist.
    — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Garrel plays Matteo, an idealistic bookstore owner in Rome who falls for the very married actress Greta (Jasmine Trinca).
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of idealistic
Adjective
  • The denominator includes greater speed, capacity and outputs that were once impractical.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The shoes, which consist of little more than a leather heel cap laced around the foot, feel almost deliberately impractical.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • Just like there are today, there were doomers and skeptics, utopian boosters and scientists pleading for calm.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The service industry reached a level of convenience that still seems almost utopian.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of utopian

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Cite this Entry

“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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