idealist
Americannoun
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idealists
plural
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a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
- Synonyms:
- utopianist, visionary, reformer, perfectionist, optimist
- Antonyms:
- cynic, skeptic, pragmatist
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a visionary or impractical person.
- Synonyms:
- stargazer, dreamer, romanticist, romantic
- Antonyms:
- materialist, realist
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a person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
My friend is an idealist, who somehow thinks that we always agree.
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a writer or artist who treats subjects imaginatively.
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a person who accepts the doctrines of philosophical idealism, as by representing things in an ideal form, or as they might or should be rather than as they are.
adjective
Pop Culture
—Idealist.org: a job-search website that connects people who want to work or volunteer their services with not-for-profit organizations.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of idealist
Explanation
An idealist is someone who envisions an ideal world rather than the real one. Some people consider idealists to be naive, impractical, and out of touch with reality. Idealists think that striving for perfection makes the world a better place. The main root of idealist is "ideal," which comes from the Latin word idea. As an idealist, you think everyone should act in the best interest of the group. Ideally, everyone would agree with you, but the unfortunate reality is that lots of people act solely in their own self-interest. Words that are related to idealist include "idealize," "idealism," and "ideally."
Vocabulary lists containing idealist
A Raisin in the Sun
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He is a situational bear, a situational bull and, almost despite himself, at age 87, a gruff, perpetual, starry-eyed idealist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
As a football idealist, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has specific beliefs about how the game should be played - and the best way to win.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
We’re conscious that the point is to lament an idealist whose life was cut short.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2025
I was always very much an idealist and was like, "Let's just try."
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2024
“He won’t. The young idealist is trapped,” she said calmly.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The quest for a stable global order has long beguiled idealists and realists alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"There are Don Quixotes and Sanchos: idealists and pragmatists. Some may find the transparency of crystals fascinating, while others are interested in their smell and whether they're edible," García-Ruiz pointed out.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
As in “Curb,” though, he just as frequently positions himself as the logician surrounded by dupes fixated on useless details or idealists high on hopium.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
The idealists absolutely should push the realists ever further.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025
And if my friends are idealists, then my realism would feel negative to them.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
