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
Across the city, there was an exuberance in the air, infused with an idealistic belief that the emerging Internet would empower people in untold new ways and make the world a better place.
—
Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Naz’s one seemingly normal relationship is with his friend Aziza, a former neighbor and idealistic social worker from Brooklyn who arrives unexpectedly at the family dinner and is witness to the Jasper family’s severe dysfunction.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
That 2% isn't just an idealistic goal, however.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Stark, having been elected governor and already well along in his fateful descent from an idealistic man of the people to an entirely corrupt megalomaniac, is on the way to visit his childhood home.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealistic
Jonathan Weber, Fortune, 19 May 2026
Naz’s one seemingly normal relationship is with his friend Aziza, a former neighbor and idealistic social worker from Brooklyn who arrives unexpectedly at the family dinner and is witness to the Jasper family’s severe dysfunction.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
That 2% isn't just an idealistic goal, however.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Stark, having been elected governor and already well along in his fateful descent from an idealistic man of the people to an entirely corrupt megalomaniac, is on the way to visit his childhood home.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealistic
Adjective
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Robert had spent the last few years accruing credit card points—more on that below—in the hopes of planning a blowout honeymoon experience for the wanderlusting couple, who had previously traveled together to romantic destinations like Japan and the south of France.—
Kaitlin Menza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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Good ex-etiquette means considering how your decisions impact your co-parenting structure, not just your romantic relationship.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Water is also a precious resource in space, making traditional washing impractical.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
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Physical storage, custody and transportation can make direct ownership impractical for many companies.—
Anthony Milewski,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Sagittarius is an idealist sign that can totally relate to this tale of enduring relationships.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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This is why the global village is not a utopian concept or ideal state for McLuhan.—
Brian A. Cogan,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 May 2026
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There was little interest in either automation panic or utopian hype.—
C.M. Rubin,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealistic. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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