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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idealist
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
In the new release, Temple plays idealist scientist Dr. Teddy Paine opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor’s General Rex Strickland — the overseer of a secret research facility dedicated to symbiotes.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
Some idealists set out to build a new community from scratch.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Adjective
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
In the new release, Temple plays idealist scientist Dr. Teddy Paine opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor’s General Rex Strickland — the overseer of a secret research facility dedicated to symbiotes.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Linda’s an idealist and Norma’s a realist.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 14 Dec. 2025
Some idealists set out to build a new community from scratch.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
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Church depicted the high arch, which sits on land once owned by Thomas Jefferson, with scientific precision yet in a romantic, golden light.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The news broke the hearts of passionate regulars, who had flocked to the restaurant for family milestones, business dinners, romantic evenings and girls’ nights out since 1999.—
Connie Ogle
May 2,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Set during the Great Depression, this electrifying musical follows two dreamers whose desire for more leads them into legend and danger.—
Staff report,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson Alcott, was a Transcendentalist and a utopian dreamer whose grand plans left him unable to provide for his wife and children.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Keep it practical instead of idealistic or overly influenced by outside opinions.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
-
The most idealistic former President was surely Jimmy Carter, whose projects ranged from building housing for the poor to battling to eradicate guinea-worm disease in Africa.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Scientists typically test candidates one by one, making large-scale discovery impractical.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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And it’s set in a snowy wintertime, which would have been impractical and expensive in live action, but pays all kinds of benefits in terms of staging and mood.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But whereas leftist thinkers starting with Marx saw the liberal ideal as totally discredited, a mere camouflage for capitalist power, Habermas kept faith with the utopian potential of liberalism.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
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There’s a cognitive dissonance between the utopian hope and love in which a story is created, the gift economy for which it’s intended as a sort of sacred offering, and the materialist reality of publishing, with sales figures and publicity, et cetera.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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