IDEALISM Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

idealism

noun

Definition of idealism

as in optimism

the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior and honesty youthful idealism romantic idealism

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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 idealism Much of this was done with an American mixture of political self-interest and idealism. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Neptune sextiles Pluto early today, blending idealism with the power to reshape systems, habits, and shared goals. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026 Neptune can represent imagination, spirituality, idealism and illusion, while Aries is concerned with selfhood, courage and initiation. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026 Fueled by gritty guitars and a bluesy rock swagger, the song channels the music that shaped Twain’s youth while revisiting the confidence, freedom and idealism of adolescence. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for idealism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealism

Noun

Eli Lilly was upgraded to buy from hold at Berenberg, and the drugmaker's leading obesity business isn't the only reason for the optimism.

— Jeff Marks,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Changes bring optimism in Kansas City Getting Bienemy back was also on the mind of Overland Park resident Baron Thompson, who was out cooking with his family in the parking lot hours before kickoff.

— Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of optimism

Noun

Yet the carelessness went up another notch, midway through the first half, when Benjamin Pavard rolled the ball into Martinez’s path and Valverde ran in to close the goalkeeper down.

— Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
It gets filed alongside carelessness, disorganization and not really trying, and the people who display it often apologize for it as though they’d been caught slacking.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of carelessness

Noun

And the frankness underlying their oddly dorky connection also paints any potential relationship between them as tragic from the jump.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Written with grimy, enlivening frankness — and an ability to dig into moral ambiguity — every character scrambles to get a leg up.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of frankness

Noun

Lonnie is a Ferrell-ian blend of narcissism and good-natured childishness, but of the wishy-washiest type.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.

— Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026

Definition of childishness

Noun

That points to the shortsightedness and impracticality of such a bargaining strategy.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
On the ceiling, a suede Scalamandré wallcovering delivers the sensory impact of leather—without the impracticality.

— Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026

Definition of impracticality

Noun

The 25-year-old California singer-songwriter staked out his turf by taking pride in the ordinariness of his hit, from the mild-mannered vocals to the drama-free sincerity of his romantic imagery.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Most scenes were filmed with four or five takes as the actors experimented with different tones, feelings, and levels of sincerity to give Meriwether options in the editing room.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of sincerity

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“Idealism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealism. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of idealism

noun

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