as in optimism
the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior and honesty
youthful idealism romantic idealism
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idealism
Then there’s the return of Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy’s Cold War hero, which suggests there is a global audience eager for old-fashioned All-American valor and idealism.
—
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
In a world where the next geopolitical shock is always two years away, clean heat isn’t idealism.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The opening moments of this penultimate episode evoke enough genuine idealism and hope to feel like a rare breath of fresh air, holding the hermetic nastiness of the series in sharp relief.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
Most accounts of the era blame greed—a new ethic of cupidity that displaced whatever youthful idealism remained from the 1960s.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealism
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
In a world where the next geopolitical shock is always two years away, clean heat isn’t idealism.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The opening moments of this penultimate episode evoke enough genuine idealism and hope to feel like a rare breath of fresh air, holding the hermetic nastiness of the series in sharp relief.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
Most accounts of the era blame greed—a new ethic of cupidity that displaced whatever youthful idealism remained from the 1960s.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idealism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealism
Noun
-
Within five months of the arrival of new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker, optimism has emerged that a struggling defense may be on the brink of major improvement.—
Briana Aldridge,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
Your optimism works best when grounded in facts, so keep promises small and doable.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Once, administrators confronted him about the carelessness of his grading.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
-
That's not chance or carelessness.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Seydoux asks me in a moment of frankness.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Her love for the city is palpable, imbued with her frankness, her fun, her queerness, and her history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The simpleness of the look really allowed the Crocs to stand out and make an impression.—
Tara Larson,
Footwear News,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The actor relishes all aspects of Dahl’s childishness, and the humanity within the beast emerges in small moments.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On the ceiling, a suede Scalamandré wallcovering delivers the sensory impact of leather—without the impracticality.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Our current system denies new talent a livelihood, and the impracticality of such training, leads me to refrain from training them.—
Ted Hope,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When an audience member posed a hypothetical choice between a flawed but distinctive film and a polished but unremarkable one, Leung said either would do, arguing that cinema’s goal was sincerity, in performance or in a director’s expression, rather than polish.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
20 June 2026
-
Just when there are emotional moments of sincerity about healthcare denials causing bankruptcy and even death, the tone shifts with a joke about fan girls sending Mangione their underwear.—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
What was once a poignant effort to extend a state of ingenuousness is now tainted from the start.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealism. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
