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
Andrew Parsons, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
But Probst has made a gradual transition from hosting the show to shaping the show in his idealized image to, this season, inserting himself into the show and making it all about him.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
But in his second season in Minnesota, the 29-year-old DiVincenzo had reached the idealized version of himself.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The challenge is not restoring some idealized era of perfect agreement that never existed.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 26 May 2026
People often present idealized versions of themselves through pictures and posts.
—William Jones, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
One of her specialties is Norman Rockwell paintings, bringing the illustrator’s idealized visions of American culture to life.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The idealized image drawn from legend shows Washington praying as a golden light illuminates him and his white horse, during the winter of 1777-8, at a time of uncertainty for the American Revolution.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 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
Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Her reflections don’t present motherhood as effortless or idealized.
—Sugey Palomares, Parents, 1 June 2026
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
Meanwhile, Les, whose supposedly normal family Lindy idealized, was nursing the failure of a GMO tomato project.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 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
Adjective
Scoring systems and practice guidelines are designed for the average patient – an idealized person, who does not exist.
—Andrew Parsons, The Conversation, 1 June 2026
But Probst has made a gradual transition from hosting the show to shaping the show in his idealized image to, this season, inserting himself into the show and making it all about him.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
But in his second season in Minnesota, the 29-year-old DiVincenzo had reached the idealized version of himself.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The challenge is not restoring some idealized era of perfect agreement that never existed.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 26 May 2026
People often present idealized versions of themselves through pictures and posts.
—William Jones, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
One of her specialties is Norman Rockwell paintings, bringing the illustrator’s idealized visions of American culture to life.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The idealized image drawn from legend shows Washington praying as a golden light illuminates him and his white horse, during the winter of 1777-8, at a time of uncertainty for the American Revolution.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 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
Verb
Waddingham was equally passionate about ensuring Debbie and Judith’s friendship felt authentic rather than idealized.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Her reflections don’t present motherhood as effortless or idealized.
—Sugey Palomares, Parents, 1 June 2026
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
Meanwhile, Les, whose supposedly normal family Lindy idealized, was nursing the failure of a GMO tomato project.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealized
Adjective
-
Much like the lore around Richard and Sarah Warren, the lyrics play like a romanticized version of what was probably a much more problematic situation.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
While Rollins wasn’t a fan of the Stones’ music, the band’s drummer Charlie Watts, who had a jazz background, idolized the sax player.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
25 May 2026
-
The Times also identified social media accounts believed to be used by one of the shooters who idolized school shootings, the white nationalism movement and neo-Nazi terrorism, and were flush with memes from the online far-right extremist community.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
For inheritors of the banana leaf-wrapping tradition, this practice has both the literal and symbolic capacity to contain that relationship.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The plot is high-class soap opera, offered at a time when most composers were avoiding any subject that glamorized the bourgeoisie.—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Rooms vary in size and color palette but all offer soft rugs, silk throws, a neutral but warm color scheme with accent colors like purple, floral bouquets, and large beds just asking to be jumped on.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
Over the prairie there would be lightning that evening, dropping in shattering bolts from swollen purple clouds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Mills has bad news, though, for superfans like myself who were hoping that the band’s embrace of the tribute project has at all softened his uncompromised reunion stance.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
28 May 2026
-
Add the turkey and onion, and cook, stirring and breaking up the turkey into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is no longer pink and the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealized. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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