idealism

[ ahy-dee-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. the cherishing or pursuit of high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
2. the practice of idealizing.
3. something idealized; an ideal representation.
4. 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 ).
5. Philosophy.
   1. 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.
   2. 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.

idealism

/ aɪˈdɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. belief in or pursuance of ideals
2. the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are
3. 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 dualism

idealism

1. 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 .

Derived Forms

• iˌdealˈistically, adverb
• iˈdealist, noun
• iˌdealˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• anti-i·deal·ism noun
• over·i·deal·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of idealism¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; ideal + -ism, probably modeled on German Idealismus

Example Sentences

Now my children, too young to remember when Barack Obama was elected, view “The West Wing” and the tone of the Santos/Vinick campaign not as progressive idealism but as full-blown fantasy.

From Los Angeles Times

The problem for Hernandez is that bureaucracy and political reality can be mortal enemies of progressive idealism.

From Los Angeles Times

Personal choice v nanny state; realism v idealism – there are few medical conditions that stir up such heated debate.

From BBC

Times coverage as a “high-energy, fast-moving arts impresario” as well as “a restlessly domineering visionary and brilliant fundraiser,” Fitzpatrick was said to have “quickly stirred things up” at CalArts with “his trademark combination of bluntness and idealism.”

From Los Angeles Times

Alvarez plays Evan Marquez, the eponymous English teacher, who is dedicated to his job but has a tendency to overthink himself into a frenzy; this can play havoc with his personal life, but it also fuels his righteous idealism.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accomplishment
• evolution
• excellence
• fulfillment
• ideal
• integrity
• precision
• purity
• quality
• superiority
• supremacy
• transcendence
• virtue