Meaning & use

idealize

verb·Academic

To regard or represent something or someone as perfect or better than it actually is.

See it in a sentence

It is easy to idealize your childhood home once you have moved far away from it.

Biographers sometimes idealize their subjects, glossing over the mistakes they made in real life.

A note on using this word

Idealize suggests overlooking real flaws in favor of a flattering, unrealistic picture, unlike simply admiring something.

Words with a similar meaning

romanticizeglorify

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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