as in to romanticize
to represent or think of as better than reality would warrant
he had a tendency to idealize his heroes and believe they could do no wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 idealize
California Adventure, at its most idealized, stood for more than an assortment of film properties.
—
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Many love songs idealize; here, John Prine and Iris DeMent sweetly rattle off a list of each other’s endearing imperfections.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2026
The characters are mostly idealized, the action is predictable, and its core conflicts derivative of those in the minds of most American teenagers in the middle of the 20th century.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
Adolescence, as life phases go, is not especially easy to idealize.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealize
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Many love songs idealize; here, John Prine and Iris DeMent sweetly rattle off a list of each other’s endearing imperfections.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2026
The characters are mostly idealized, the action is predictable, and its core conflicts derivative of those in the minds of most American teenagers in the middle of the 20th century.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
Adolescence, as life phases go, is not especially easy to idealize.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealize
Verb
-
Individuals with Neptune in Libra tend to romanticize love and beauty, often dreaming of soulful partnerships, harmony and aesthetically pleasing environments.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Varas didn’t sound interested in romanticizing March.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Growing up in Harlem, Quié idolized Gabriel, the son of sharecroppers and one of twenty kids.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Growing up, McIlroy idolized the 82-time PGA Tour winner and aimed to emulate his game after Woods.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The visual culture produced by Anduril to glamorize its unmanned rockets, submarines, and accompanying control software leverages a lot of Aeropittura’s potential.—
Simon Denny,
Artforum,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The notebook glamorizes love as possession.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Naqvi softened the public image of an industry often accused of asset stripping.—
Hettie O'Brien,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
-
One of her favorites products, the gelato hair pack, not only looks like a delicious treat but is effect to treat and soften hair.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealize. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
