Meaning & use
idealistic
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Guided by strong beliefs about how things should be, and hoping for a better world, often without worrying whether it is practical.
Grammar: Describes people or plans, before a noun or after a linking verb: an idealistic teacher; she is idealistic.
Patterns
- be idealistic about something
- an idealistic young person
The idealistic young lawyer wanted to end poverty in his city.
She was too idealistic to accept a job that harmed the environment.
Their idealistic plan assumed that everyone would cooperate.
Word forms
| comparative | more idealistic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most idealistic |
Common combinations
- idealistic young
- A group of idealistic young volunteers built the school.
- naively idealistic
- He was naively idealistic about how quickly politics could change.
- idealistic view
- She has an idealistic view of life in a small village.
- idealistic about something
- They were idealistic about the future of the company.
- remain idealistic
- Despite many setbacks, he remained idealistic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- optimistic
- Means expecting good outcomes, while idealistic means holding high principles whether or not the outcomes are likely.
- visionary
- Is more admiring and suggests a person who can see and shape a better future, not just hope for one.
- utopian
- Is stronger and usually critical, describing plans so perfect they could never work.
- starry-eyed
- Is informal and teasing, pointing to dreamy hopes that ignore reality.
Opposites
Word family
- idealist noun
- a person who holds high ideals
- idealism noun
- belief in or pursuit of high ideals
- idealistically adverb
- in an idealistic way
- ideal noun
- a standard of perfection
- idealize verb
- to treat something as perfect
Commonly confused: idealistic or ideal? idealistic or idle?
idealistic vs ideal
Ideal means perfect or most suitable, while idealistic describes a person's hopeful, principled outlook.
idealistic vs idle
Idle means not working and has nothing to do with ideals, though the first letters look alike.
Practice
Tom is ____ about politics: he truly believes that honest speeches will end corruption overnight.
Choose one answer.
Idealistic fits someone with high hopes that may be unrealistic. Cynical and pragmatic describe the opposite attitude, and indifferent means not caring.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “idealistic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.