How to Use idealism in a Sentence

idealism

noun
  • At the outset of the TON project, the primer had brimmed over with idealism.
    Darren Loucaides, Wired, 8 Feb. 2022
  • That idealism lives on in a book's pages — and in many hearts.
    Lynn Petrak, chicagotribune.com, 14 Sep. 2017
  • For me, it’s kind of wrapped up in nostalgia, and in the idealism of youth.
    Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 31 July 2022
  • And then there is the low-level idealism that runs through the novel.
    Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 15 May 2021
  • The war killed the very idealism that sent the doughboys over there to defend freedom and peace.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2022
  • For some, though, lagom itself brings out a kind of idealism.
    Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024
  • The movie has endured more as the obituary for the idealism and much of the foolishness of the Swinging ’60s.
    Steven Gaydos, Variety, 1 July 2022
  • The most successful try to reconcile their idealism with the need to pay the bills.
    The Economist, 14 July 2018
  • And people have an idealism that maybe that will spread.
    Leigh Gallagher, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2017
  • What is the trade-off between courage and safety; idealism and caution; hope for change and fear of it?
    Ben Rhodes, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2024
  • The generosity and idealism of the younger man are gone.
    Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Dec. 2017
  • Now the question is whether the Olympics can become, again, a symbol of hope and idealism, rather than of greed and delusion.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2020
  • In the years that followed, her idealism gave way, replaced by anger.
    oregonlive, 27 Sep. 2022
  • Isabel Archer in The Portrait of a Lady need no longer be the victim of her own idealism.
    Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021
  • The brave idealism of the people of Hong Kong is enough to stir the heart of anyone who cherishes freedom.
    Steve Chapman, chicagotribune.com, 4 Sep. 2019
  • The opera works best when hints of defiant idealism are allowed to creep in.
    New York Times, 20 May 2021
  • All of this is true, and the idealism of it is as inspiring as the naivete of it is disquieting.
    Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2020
  • That sounds like the idealism of a vanished era -- but Obama is doubling down on the creed today.
    CNN, 18 Aug. 2020
  • They were grounded in the flux and the muck of the ’70s, the grand descent from idealism, all of which Wertmüller captured with a wistful look back at the world that was gone.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Dec. 2021
  • But for that idealism to be viable, there has to be a benefit.
    Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022
  • There’s a sense of idealism and altruism, and wanting to make a difference in the world.
    Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019
  • Airbnb was a great business idea, and its founders’ idealism still trickles down.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The lyrics are sort of an understated remark about the loss of idealism.
    Marc Myers, WSJ, 14 July 2021
  • He was deeply affected by the idealism and bravery of the students.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023
  • This is a painting about youthful idealism, about hopes and dreams.
    Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
  • The change did not go through, but the effort signaled a retreat from idealism that is re-ordering the world.
    Karl Vick, Time, 21 June 2018
  • Maybe that line was just copied and pasted from an aide’s Word document: Open if in need of idealism.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2023
  • Above all, there is the idealism and esprit de corps that sport engenders.
    Gerard Baker, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020
  • But for all the high-minded idealism, OpenAI has also had its share of scandals.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 22 May 2024
  • Its post-hippie, pre-punk setting shows Bresson’s reaction to a society that’s transitioning from idealism to nihilism.
    Armond White, National Review, 25 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'idealism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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