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
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 idealist
Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
In each episode, Kaplan argues that although hubris, ambition, and hatred always lurk in the background, the knowledge of human imperfection and the limits of progress can liberate people to seek greater self-awareness and avoid idealist misadventures.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Richard Hendricks, Pied Piper’s founder and the primary author of that algorithm, is a coder by profession but an idealist by nature.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Adjective
The film’s first trailer released on Monday, featuring Adam Driver as an idealist architect up against Giancarlo Esposito as a pragmatist mayor.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
In each episode, Kaplan argues that although hubris, ambition, and hatred always lurk in the background, the knowledge of human imperfection and the limits of progress can liberate people to seek greater self-awareness and avoid idealist misadventures.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Noun
John was an idealist, and that's what's appealing about him.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Richard Hendricks, Pied Piper’s founder and the primary author of that algorithm, is a coder by profession but an idealist by nature.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
-
This lusty trine activates your exotic ninth house and flirtatious fifth house, bringing romantic storylines, creative breakthroughs and a little adventure that spices things up in more ways than one.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
22 May 2025
-
Saturday, June 14 Remembering Love Jones Presented by Walmart Synopsis: Join us for a rare and intimate conversation with Nia Long and Larenz Tate celebrating the legacy of Love Jones (1997), the iconic romantic drama written and directed by Theodore Witcher.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
With a main home and a guest cottage offering up a total of four bedrooms and four baths in nearly 3,150 square feet, the secluded residence has plenty of room for any like-minded dreamer to eat, pray, love, and more while enjoying some particularly stunning ocean and mountain views.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
22 May 2025
-
The budget dreamers in one-party California are the latest to be shocked — shocked!—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
All this may sound idealistic, but so far it’s been great.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
14 May 2025
-
Lula insists on pacifism in an idealistic way that is unusual among world leaders.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
Imagine someone championing a project others deem impractical but later becoming the pioneer of a game-changing approach.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
Additionally, much of the country's housing stock is older, making retrofitting AC units both costly and impractical.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Jason Momoa will star alongside Alcock as Lobo, an alien mercenary and bounty hunter from the utopian planet of Czarnia in the DC comics.—
Vincent Perella,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
-
What begins as an architectural experiment becomes an eccentric and emotional journey into isolation, celebrity, and the limits of utopian idealism.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
This infrastructure and ideological influence spread even as the community obsessed over pictures of monkeys on a blockchain.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
Wars are caused by ideological need for control, power and authority.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
There will be protests and lawsuits, but several brands ― from the old and historic to new and quixotic ― need to go, for the ultimate good of the automaker’s shareholders, workers and dealers.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
-
The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share