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
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Recent Examples of idealize
Despite millennials’ push for greater diversity on the runway and more inclusive sizing in denim collections, there’s a growing shift back toward campaigns that idealize ultra-thin bodies and pale skin.
—
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 8 Sep. 2025
Beginning around the mid-19th century, middle-class Americans began to idealize the velvety green grass of European manor houses, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The film doesn’t idealize the president as a man of unhesitating certainties.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
These values were generally shared by his employers at Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, organisations idealized as the polar opposite of Emperor Palpatine's authoritarian dictatorship from a galaxy far, far away.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealize
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 8 Sep. 2025
Beginning around the mid-19th century, middle-class Americans began to idealize the velvety green grass of European manor houses, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The film doesn’t idealize the president as a man of unhesitating certainties.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
These values were generally shared by his employers at Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, organisations idealized as the polar opposite of Emperor Palpatine's authoritarian dictatorship from a galaxy far, far away.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealize
Verb
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This is your cue to romanticize your own life, Scorpio.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
2 Nov. 2025
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The idea of what a tough guy is is a little bit romanticized in the archetype of Clint Eastwood – just being really stoic and not saying a lot.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Smith grew up idolizing him as a boy in Louisville.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The action then jumps seventeen years into the future, where Morgan and Chris’s daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace), is now a teen-ager who resents her mom’s protectiveness and idolizes her freewheeling aunt.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Creative activations, particularly ones that shock or disquiet, can make the problem of textile waste visible in a city where overconsumption is often glamorized.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Oct. 2025
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Safdie makes no effort to glamorize the Kerr’s work, or to insist that there is actually an elegance to what MMA fighters do.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The seasonal shift to cheaper winter-blend gasoline could help offset cost increases related to the refinery fire, softening the impact for drivers.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The seat is made of high-density foam that softens with use and has a supportive spring underpinning.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealize. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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