as in idolizes
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 idealizes
Gen Z, in particular, has moved away from the hustle-and-grind culture of the 2000s and early 2010s and instead idealizes wellness, leisure and affluence without overt labor.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealizes
Verb
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The film follows Antoine (Moore), who idolizes his father, a charismatic gambler.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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With her crude French and slightly out-of-place mannerisms, Patricia is the young, beautiful American expatriate drawn to this wannabe gangster who idolizes Humphrey Bogart and yet seems so quintessentially French.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Stamos quickly romanticizes the soldier’s isolation—his freedom from social expectations—and begins to dream of defecting.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
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As Bella and Edward become closer, our young heroine not only romanticizes the vampire's ethereal good looks, but also the dominance and constant surveillance of his courtship.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There has been much discussion about whether the genre glamorizes or interrogates female pain, or a little of both, or whether books by and about women with feelings that are important enough to be written about needs a label at all.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
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Social media often glamorizes pregnancy, but Llamas didn’t want to shy away from the complications.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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How the room softens, how people exhale, how laughter drifts back in and the air feels lighter.—
Adrianne Wright,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
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October 23 – November 21 Intensity softens when truth gets air.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealizes. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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