idealist

American  

[ahy-dee-uh-list] / aɪˈdi ə lɪst /

noun

1. a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.

   Synonyms:

   utopianist, visionary, reformer, perfectionist, optimist

   Antonyms:

   cynic, skeptic, pragmatist

2. a visionary or impractical person.

   Synonyms:

   stargazer, dreamer, romanticist, romantic

   Antonyms:

   materialist, realist

3. 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.

4. a writer or artist who treats subjects imaginatively.

5. 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.

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adjective

1. of or relating to idealism or idealists; idealistic.

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

• anti-idealist noun
• hyperidealist noun
• superidealist noun

Etymology

Origin of idealist

First recorded in 1695–1705; ideal + -ist

Example Sentences

Amodei is an idealist who represents the historically liberal wing of Silicon Valley, concerned about unleashing AI without proper guardrails.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 21, 2025

We’re conscious that the point is to lament an idealist whose life was cut short.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2025

On the other, "she had the restlessness of an idealist with a certain anger at the world as it was", Eve, now 67, told the BBC.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2025

I was always very much an idealist and was like, "Let's just try."

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2024

My grandfather may have been an imposing and learned man, but he was an idealist and a dreamer.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• dreamer
• optimist
• visionary