as in romanticizing
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 idealizing
By late month, career responsibilities intensify, requiring you to define a realistic path forward instead of idealizing outcomes.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Neptune can blur boundaries, so be mindful of overcommitting or idealizing people who have not shown consistency yet.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 25 Jan. 2026
Teens are already blocked from repeatedly viewing videos that could send them down dangerous content rabbit holes, such as those idealizing certain body types.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s no wishful thinking that our society will stop idealizing appearance, but framing and intrinsic motivation matter.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Neptune can blur boundaries, so be mindful of overcommitting or idealizing people who have not shown consistency yet.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 25 Jan. 2026
Teens are already blocked from repeatedly viewing videos that could send them down dangerous content rabbit holes, such as those idealizing certain body types.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s no wishful thinking that our society will stop idealizing appearance, but framing and intrinsic motivation matter.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealizing
Verb
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No more romanticizing what the core looks like in 148 minutes together.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
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The historic Egmont was a Flemish general, a hero to his people in the Netherlands who attempts to serve the 16th century Spanish emperor, Philip II, and rife for Goethe’s romanticizing.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For those of us who grew up idolizing the 38-year singer and actor, that candor is classic Hilary.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
17 Feb. 2026
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Regenda grew up idolizing other Slovakian stars like Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, and Zdeno Chara.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The song was seen as glamorizing Nazi ideology, antisemitism and Hitler.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
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Warfare Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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To be more sensitive to modern audiences, O’Brien said that Howl’s revival would take fewer song requests while softening the onstage comedy bits, adding that its modern music and food menu of wings and flatbreads would also drive the bar’s success.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
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The sum of these ingredients is firming, tightening, brightening, tone-evening, softening, moisturizing, and wrinkle-smoothing benefits.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealizing. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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