idealism
the cherishing or pursuit of high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
the practice of idealizing.
something idealized; an ideal representation.
Fine Arts. treatment of subject matter in a work of art in which a mental conception of beauty or form is stressed, characterized usually by the selection of particular features of various models and their combination into a whole according to a standard of perfection.: Compare naturalism (def. 2), realism (def. 3a).
Philosophy.
any system or theory that maintains that the real is of the nature of thought or that the object of external perception consists of ideas.
the tendency to represent things in an ideal form, or as they might or should be rather than as they are, with emphasis on values.
Origin of idealism
1Other words from idealism
- an·ti-i·de·al·ism, noun
- o·ver·i·de·al·ism, noun
Words Nearby idealism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use idealism in a sentence
That is where the link between realism and idealism specifically originates.
George Shultz Showed U.S. Foreign Policy Is Strongest When We Combine Realism and Human Rights | Robert D. Kaplan | February 9, 2021 | TimeIt is in that rendezvous with a wider world that realism and idealism are destined to coexist.
George Shultz Showed U.S. Foreign Policy Is Strongest When We Combine Realism and Human Rights | Robert D. Kaplan | February 9, 2021 | TimeHis saga, which has escalated to the trade request and staredown phase, is a bizarre case of a team draining its young superstar’s idealism in record time.
Deshaun Watson is taking a stand against disingenuous NFL owners. It could change the league. | Jerry Brewer | February 1, 2021 | Washington PostA little bit of idealism will go a long way in softening the ground on a daunting issue.
What ‘Schitt’s Creek’ can teach us about climate action | matthewheimer | December 6, 2020 | FortuneRemember the idealism and love of country that brought you to service.
Republicans, it isn’t too late to stand up for the nation | Michael Gerson | December 3, 2020 | Washington Post
Both followed wars; people were tired of idealism and self-sacrifice and were determined to enjoy a self- indulgent materialism.
Pope Paul VI and the Church at that time could be forgiven for puritanical idealism.
The Vatican's Same-Sex Synod: The Bishops Hear About Reality. Do They Listen? | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTR reinvigorated the office after a succession of grey presidents with his unself-conscious energy, idealism and determination.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR | John Avlon | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy doing so, we will also achieve what Du Bois championed: practical idealism based in lifelong learning.
College Must Be More Than Just a Classy Trade School | Michael S. Roth | August 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFor Moses, the idealism of Freedom Summer was inseparable from the practical task of making it work.
The 1964 Miss. Freedom Summer Protests Won Progress At a Bloody Price | Nicolaus Mills | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBrahmanism carried idealism to the extent of denying any reality to sense or matter, declaring that sense is a delusion.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John LordNever, certainly, did age more need his high idealism to teach a nobler rule in national and private life.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingBriefly, by enlarging his enterprise, Terry threw away the immediate advantage of his personal idealism and charm.
Mushroom Town | Oliver OnionsBefore his paintings and engravings pale idealism disappeared.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard MutherCornelius endeavoured to raise the masses to his level, paid for his idealism with unpopularity, and was never understood.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard Muther
British Dictionary definitions for idealism
/ (aɪˈdɪəˌlɪzəm) /
belief in or pursuance of ideals
the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are
any of a group of philosophical doctrines that share the monistic view that material objects and the external world do not exist in reality independently of the human mind but are variously creations of the mind or constructs of ideas: Compare materialism (def. 2), dualism (def. 2)
Derived forms of idealism
- idealist, noun
- idealistic, adjective
- idealistically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for idealism
An approach to philosophy that regards mind, spirit, or ideas as the most fundamental kinds of reality, or at least as governing our experience of the ordinary objects in the world. Idealism is opposed to materialism, naturalism, and realism. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was an idealist; so was Immanuel Kant.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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