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
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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
Peter Guo, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024
For instance, his call for all Bitcoin mining to be located in the U.S. rubbed certain crypto idealists the wrong way, as decentralization and immunity to governmental pressures is a key part of the ethos of crypto mining.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 17 July 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
The diary belonged to Lam Ping-yu, an ambitious and patriotic idealist who was born to a well-off Chinese family in Indonesia in 1911 and eagerly joined his home country’s navy.
—Peter Guo, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024
For instance, his call for all Bitcoin mining to be located in the U.S. rubbed certain crypto idealists the wrong way, as decentralization and immunity to governmental pressures is a key part of the ethos of crypto mining.
—Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for idealist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealist
Adjective
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As with the best films of its type, Companion works on more than a surface B-movie level, providing sly satirical commentary about power dynamics in romantic relationships to which more than a few audience members will be able to relate.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
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Bell Book & Candle Indulge in a romantic four-course dinner in the West Village.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That would be ideal — and MLK was, if anything, an idealist, a dreamer.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Jan. 2025
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In 1980, The Times noted, a report that two hefty gold nuggets had turned up in the Sierra Madre foothills sent a new generation of dreamers back into the hills.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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McCourt’s pitch tries to encompass not just his idealistic vision for the Internet but pragmatic capitalist arguments.—
Clare Malone,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
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Your celestial ruler, Venus, is shining an idealistic light on your social circles, long-term goals and dreams, but Jupiter retrograde in Gemini urges you to consider your financial stability and sense of self-worth.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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On top of that, Los Angeles is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, which may serve as a looming — albeit impractical — deadline for recovery.—
Denise Chow,
NBC News,
22 Jan. 2025
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Developing advanced tools entirely in-house is often impractical for financial institutions.—
Rahim Harji,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sly and the Family Stone were a multi-ethnic, multi-gender, multi-genre group when such concepts still seemed impossibly utopian on both the charts and the streets, led by a songwriter who deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as Mozart, Miles and McCartney.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
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Some fans feel Section 31 is antithetical to the utopian legacy the original series was trying to build.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Their ideological far-right brethren in Austria may soon form a new government for the first time since World War II.—
Natalia Romik / Madę by History,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
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Other analysts take a more nuanced view, painting the party as a coalition of different broadly right-wing ideological factions.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As so began a quixotic quest, snowballing into winter, cheered by skiers and snowboarders in Oregon and beyond, to raise about $200 million and wrest Mt. Bachelor from the corporate titans of a consolidating industry.—
John Branch,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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The goal should not be eradicating EOL—a quixotic effort—but rather determining and defending acceptable risk.—
Ismail Amla,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near idealist
Cite this Entry
“Idealist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealist. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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