idealistic

adjective

ide·​al·​is·​tic (ˌ)ī-ˌdē-(ə-)ˈli-stik 

ˌī-dē-

1

: of or relating to idealists or idealism

2

a

: believing in ideals

idealistic activists

b

: not realistic or practical

a naïve and idealistic dreamer

idealistically

(ˌ)ī-ˌdē-(ə-)ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌī-dē-

adverb

Synonyms of idealistic

• romantic
• impractical
• idealist
• utopian

Examples of idealistic in a Sentence

idealistic pacifists who thought that tyranny could be toppled by rational argument and mutual understanding

Recent Examples on the Web

Jeffrey Tucker, founder of the nonprofit Brownstone Institute who has rallied support behind Kennedy, said MAHA activists are idealistic but at times naive about the difficulty of government reform. —Ali Swenson, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025

Chief amongst these people is his son Chris (Paapa Essiedu), who works in his father’s manufacturing business, but has an idealistic bent and the air of someone who wants but doesn’t dare to forge his own path. —Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025

Employees of NGOs who concoct idealistic plans to address the housing crisis? —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Weekly Newsletter While urban planners often describe public space as idealistic and free of conflict, true publicness is far from utopian. —JSTOR Daily, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for idealistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antagonistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic