as in romantic
having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality
an idealist attempt to make a go of a mom-and-pop hardware store on Main Street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dreamer
one whose conduct is guided more by the image of perfection than by the real world
an idealist sees the best in everyone, regardless of how they behave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of idealist
Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2023
Although Oppenheimer represented the idealist wing, who thought development of the bomb might lead to some good end, many of the physicists justified their work on purely empirical grounds.
—Longreads, 20 July 2023
Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 4 Oct. 2024
Had Coppola focused on the dilemma of a white idealist challenged and intimidated by a black political power player, setting off political subterfuge that nearly destroys the dynasty Cesar was born to, Megalopolis might have ignited pop recognition and excitement.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for idealist 
Adjective
Sweet floral scents have the same energy as their positive, idealist outlook on life.
—Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2023
Although Oppenheimer represented the idealist wing, who thought development of the bomb might lead to some good end, many of the physicists justified their work on purely empirical grounds.
—Longreads, 20 July 2023
Noun
During the Vietnam War, the hippie enclave of Nelson became a haven for American draft dodgers, drawing even more progressive idealists and non-conformists, and cementing the town’s contrarian Zeitgeist.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 4 Oct. 2024
Had Coppola focused on the dilemma of a white idealist challenged and intimidated by a black political power player, setting off political subterfuge that nearly destroys the dynasty Cesar was born to, Megalopolis might have ignited pop recognition and excitement.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
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The style of the home was Italian Villa, an informal, romantic style.Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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Madison is flawless in these closing scenes: stunned, heartbroken, unable to respond to the tentative romantic gestures of a Russian henchman who's taken a shine to her.Tom Gliatto, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The pitch was simple—for us, by us—and over time the gathering has ballooned into a magnet for all sorts of dreamers, many of whom also realize that there is power in the collective.Jason Parham, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024
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On this road, loneliness becomes the defining characteristic, separating dreamers from those who merely exist.Colby B. Jubenville, PhD, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Those are also the building blocks of a society, a shaky foundation that forces the idealistic Tóth to flee one rotten country for another.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
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The Sun in your eighth house asks you to take a risk and trust others with your vulnerabilities, but Neptune in your 11th house blurs the line between loyal friends and idealistic allies.Valerie Mesa, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Trying to dampen political polarization in the news and on social media would be an obvious approach—although an impractical one, the two say, given how polarization has marketplace benefits in boosting audience sizes, engagement and political donations.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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Consultants have traditionally filled this gap by providing impartial assessments, yet external advisors may miss crucial insights into a company’s products, culture or internal processes, leading to high-cost, impractical recommendations.Glen Robinson, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Ultimately, while the dream that humanity will be freed from the shackles of labor and freed to pursue a life of leisure and creativity is attractive, the leap to this utopian state is far from guaranteed.Bernard Marr, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
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Our unnamed hero also takes time out from the battle to read a fantasy novel whose utopian fantasy realm — twist!Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Here, storytelling is used not as a tool to persuade someone to come around to your beliefs, but as a way of building trust in a relationship even when there are ideological differences.Esther K. Choy, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is a Sunni Islamist umbrella group of oppositionist forces with ideological and organizational roots in al-Qaeda.Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There are the holidays, there is the cooler weather, there are the end-of-year lists, the quixotic New Year's resolutions, all manner of things.Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 29 Nov. 2024
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Bush launched a quixotic attempt to privatize America's most popular entitlement program.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near idealist
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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