as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
idealistic pacifists who thought that tyranny could be toppled by rational argument and mutual understanding
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Recent Examples of idealistic
Among the interviewees is cultural commentator Naomi Klein, who explains how WikiLeaks grew out of an early, more idealistic incarnation of the internet, prior to the rise of social media, in which its primary purpose was to make information available to all, for free.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2025
In the scene in question, a liberal, idealistic senator of the imperial government that controls much of the galaxy speaks out against a vengeful attack on the protesting residents of Ghorman, a planet that the empire is attempting to subjugate and militarize.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Image Altman, dining regularly with Musk, mirrors his anxieties and persuades him to bankroll a more idealistic rival.
—Tim Wu, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Love, Coffee, and Revolution By Stefanie Leder Blackstone: 282 pages, $29
(June 10)
Dee Blum is an idealistic student who drops out of college to lead eco-tours in Costa Rica, much to her family’s disapproval.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealistic
Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2025
In the scene in question, a liberal, idealistic senator of the imperial government that controls much of the galaxy speaks out against a vengeful attack on the protesting residents of Ghorman, a planet that the empire is attempting to subjugate and militarize.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Editors’ Picks Image Altman, dining regularly with Musk, mirrors his anxieties and persuades him to bankroll a more idealistic rival.
—Tim Wu, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Love, Coffee, and Revolution By Stefanie Leder Blackstone: 282 pages, $29
(June 10)
Dee Blum is an idealistic student who drops out of college to lead eco-tours in Costa Rica, much to her family’s disapproval.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealistic
Adjective
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Why do these people jump to assume that romantic relationships are the motivation?—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Florals, of course, are fail-proof: romantic, timeless, and seasonally apt.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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By contrast, the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands have been allocated to Wi-Fi for a long time, are heavily used, and modifying existing devices to stop using parts of the bands would be impractical.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 June 2025
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This sheer volume makes manual auditing impractical and reinforces the need for intelligent tools that can scale.—
Prashant Kondle,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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This, in turn, becomes logically reliant on the idealist paradigm of Consciousness as the fundamental lowest common denominator of reality.—
Carlo Tortora Brayda,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Advertisement While the setting of Brokeback Mountain, where the pair first works together herding sheep, provides secluded idyll along the (theoretically) utopian lines of Fire Island, Jack and Ennis are largely divorced from gay culture.—
Rich Juzwiak,
Time,
24 June 2025
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Here was a community built on collectivist and utopian principles that had decided 88 years after its founding to disband.—
JOSEPH TORIGIAN,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Should the Trump administration actually go through with a quixotic invasion effort, the cost in blood and treasure would doubtless drive a permanent wedge within the MAGA movement.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
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What sets Netflix Spain apart from most of the U.S. streamer’s international operations is its ambition, based not on quixotic dreams of grandeur but on the record-breaking first decade of generating key titles which perform well on home ground but break out spectacularly abroad.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealistic. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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