idealist
Americannoun
-
a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
- Synonyms:
- utopianist, visionary, reformer, perfectionist, optimist
- Antonyms:
- cynic, skeptic, pragmatist
-
a visionary or impractical person.
- Synonyms:
- stargazer, dreamer, romanticist, romantic
- Antonyms:
- materialist, realist
-
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.
-
a writer or artist who treats subjects imaginatively.
-
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
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.
Idealist ancient thinkers such as Plato considered mind and spirit as the abiding reality.
From Salon • Oct. 25, 2023
Nationally, sites like Idealist, Just Serve and Volunteer Match let you search for projects by entering your ZIP code.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023
Idealist though he is, he acknowledges that among people who don’t know about the form, “the stereotypes associated with opera are unbelievably negative.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 6, 2018
Justin Peters is a Slate correspondent and the author of The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet.
From Slate • Feb. 5, 2018
The man whom he attacks throughout he calls "The Idealist"; that is the man who permits himself to be mainly moved by a moral generalisation.
From George Bernard Shaw by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
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.
