idealist

1 of 2

noun

ide·​al·​ist ī-ˈdē-(ə-)list How to pronounce idealist (audio)
ˈī-(ˌ)dē-
Synonyms of idealistnext
1
: one guided by ideals
especially : one that places ideals before practical considerations
a mix of idealists and realists
2
a
: an adherent of a philosophical theory of idealism
b
: an artist or author who advocates or practices idealism in art or writing

idealist

2 of 2

adjective

Examples of idealist in a Sentence

Noun an idealist sees the best in everyone, regardless of how they behave Adjective an idealist attempt to make a go of a mom-and-pop hardware store on Main Street
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
At least there were idealists who dreamed such fancies, and their dreams were the pretext for creating this nation. Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025 Lotus Village’s founder: An idealist who has produced real world results. Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The contact with and dependence on such support arguably also bolstered art’s worldliness and acted as an antidote to the petit bourgeois affinity for idealist mystification. Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025 Wish-casting a better result for a confrontation in a different place, Vindman suppresses how much and how often America antagonized Russia through its idealist actions, rather than realist inaction. Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for idealist

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of idealist was in 1803

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Cite this Entry

“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idealist. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.

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