as in romanticized
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as in idolized
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 idealized
Samira Mehta, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
But the fact that the movie cuts back to the staff poring over pages without ever mentioning a social-media plan, a digital breakout post, or how the video shoot of this interview will be Ginsu-ed into TikTok clips tells you how stuck in the idealized past Prada 2 is.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
On the field, baseball tried to logic its way to idealized outcomes, with its teams leaning all the way into analytics to come up with defensive strategies like the shift.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
And while downtown Bentonville is presented as an idealized small town of the past, the city’s building boom and traffic jams point to a rural past that no longer exists.
—Steve Lackmeyer, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Its last transit, 1943–1957, unfolded during and after World War II, when society longed for peace, harmony and idealized relationships.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Padmavati comes to represent idealized or divine beauty, Ratansen the seeker, and his journey a spiritual quest, reframing the story beyond its historical context.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
More than a decade of social media research has documented the harm of exposure to idealized images of others.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
With eight episodes’ worth of time to fill, Boston could have really dug into the relationships between fiancés and spouses, parents and children, sisters and brothers, idealized romance and the reality of spending most of your life with a person.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Emilie Hardman, JSTOR Daily, 6 May 2026
Unlike some of his artistic peers, who idealized studios and showcases in New York or Europe, Chambers never wanted to leave Altadena.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The '90s aesthetic was eclipsed by the celebration of a different kind of celebrity − women like Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and JLo were idealized for their curves.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The Mint Julep evokes a sense of 200 years of Southern history that is almost impossibly idealized, and nobody seems to mind.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
These observations come the day after Meghan posted idealized, influencer-style images of her children celebrating Easter by running around their lush Montecito garden, hunting for Easter eggs.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Practices often idealized for their organic nature can still have environmental impacts if they are not properly implemented.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 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
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
That said, the idealized family was a central piece of American rhetoric in the middle of the 20th century – as was religion.
—Samira Mehta, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
But the fact that the movie cuts back to the staff poring over pages without ever mentioning a social-media plan, a digital breakout post, or how the video shoot of this interview will be Ginsu-ed into TikTok clips tells you how stuck in the idealized past Prada 2 is.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
On the field, baseball tried to logic its way to idealized outcomes, with its teams leaning all the way into analytics to come up with defensive strategies like the shift.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
And while downtown Bentonville is presented as an idealized small town of the past, the city’s building boom and traffic jams point to a rural past that no longer exists.
—Steve Lackmeyer, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Its last transit, 1943–1957, unfolded during and after World War II, when society longed for peace, harmony and idealized relationships.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Padmavati comes to represent idealized or divine beauty, Ratansen the seeker, and his journey a spiritual quest, reframing the story beyond its historical context.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
More than a decade of social media research has documented the harm of exposure to idealized images of others.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
With eight episodes’ worth of time to fill, Boston could have really dug into the relationships between fiancés and spouses, parents and children, sisters and brothers, idealized romance and the reality of spending most of your life with a person.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
The figures aren’t necessarily idealized forms though.
—Emilie Hardman, JSTOR Daily, 6 May 2026
Unlike some of his artistic peers, who idealized studios and showcases in New York or Europe, Chambers never wanted to leave Altadena.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The '90s aesthetic was eclipsed by the celebration of a different kind of celebrity − women like Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and JLo were idealized for their curves.
—Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The Mint Julep evokes a sense of 200 years of Southern history that is almost impossibly idealized, and nobody seems to mind.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
These observations come the day after Meghan posted idealized, influencer-style images of her children celebrating Easter by running around their lush Montecito garden, hunting for Easter eggs.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Practices often idealized for their organic nature can still have environmental impacts if they are not properly implemented.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 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
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealized
Adjective
-
Built before the violent conquests, these conical towers have come to symbolize a romanticized vision of the heyday of Sardinia’s independence.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
Souvenirs of a romanticized fin-de-siècle Ruritania are presented without interest or elaboration.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 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
Adjective
-
During a brief appearance in front of the cameras, the pope gave Rubio the symbolic gift of an olive-wood pen.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
-
Once the most powerful jobs in television, evening anchors like Tony Dokoupil now occupy a more symbolic perch.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Often, fires are depicted in an overly dramatic or glamorized way, but each home represents a person’s life.—
TIME Photo Department,
Time,
23 Dec. 2025
-
My journey will be publicized and glamorized, but my evolution process is sacred to me.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Just avoid red, blue, and purple gummies, which can leave a residue that resembles blood.—
Holly Burns,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
While Democrats have carried the county in recent presidential elections, Orange County remains a decidedly purple area and home to some of the most contested congressional districts in recent years.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
And what with all the love and pain, something in me softened—or maybe decayed.—
Eva Wiseman,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
And the Blue Monster was no longer a monster, not with everything softened by the rain.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealized. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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