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
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
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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
Chelsea Haney
october 25, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
Fifteen years later, Brooks is back with a story about a young idealist trying to balance a professional life in politics with her wacky family.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 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
And the call isn’t just coming from idealists this time – the prestigious science journal Nature is also now arguing for a global rail revival – not as a nostalgic nod to the past, but as a pragmatic cornerstone of climate strategy.
—Chelsea Haney
october 25, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025
Fifteen years later, Brooks is back with a story about a young idealist trying to balance a professional life in politics with her wacky family.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
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While Paris is often framed as endlessly romantic, Wells says the day-to-day realities can be isolating.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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Safe to say a breakup album is off the table, as the artist is back in her romantic era.—
Emily Kelleher,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And then there is the dreamer artist and author who at 50 dropped everything and joined the Peace Corps.—
David Kravet,
Hartford Courant,
19 Jan. 2026
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From noirs to Hollywood rises (and falls) to neighborhood dreamers, Los Angeles is always ready for its close-up.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But, as idealistic and well-intentioned as Remmick might present himself, the vampire will nevertheless take with force what he's not given.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
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Still, the idealistic Isaacson believes the book and that aspirational sentence have plenty to say.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Collecting demonstrations by teleoperating robots works in limited scenarios but becomes impractical in many real-world settings.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
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Directed by Leslie Iwerks, the film argues that Disneyland was not only impractical, but a stunning race against time.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Urbano’s installations, radically utopian in this sense, re-create ideal spaces free from the spatiotemporal coordinates and rigid laws that govern our daily lives.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
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This is a scrapbook of utopian folly, yes, but also an insider’s look at what was, for a time, the wildest workplace on Earth.—
Andrew Holter,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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