idealistic

adjective

ide·​al·​is·​tic (ˌ)ī-ˌdē-(ə-)ˈli-stik 

ˌī-dē-

1

: of or relating to idealists or idealism

2

a

: believing in ideals

idealistic activists

b

: not realistic or practical

a naïve and idealistic dreamer

idealistically

(ˌ)ī-ˌdē-(ə-)ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌī-dē-

adverb

Synonyms of idealistic

• romantic
• impractical
• idealist
• utopian

Examples of idealistic in a Sentence

idealistic pacifists who thought that tyranny could be toppled by rational argument and mutual understanding

Recent Examples on the Web

Weekly Newsletter While urban planners often describe public space as idealistic and free of conflict, true publicness is far from utopian. —JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2025

Garfield, an idealistic moralist, happens to catch his colleagues at a time that even the movers and shakers have tired of the corruption. —Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025

Frank succeeded Ange Postecoglou in the role, possibly the most stylistically idealistic coach the modern Premier League has seen. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

The series chronicles the decades-long relationship between Bailey’s bright-eyed and idealistic young congressional staffer Tim and Matt Bomer’s stern State Department official, Hawk. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for idealistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antagonistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic