idealization

[ ahy-dee-uh-luh-zey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of idealizing something.
2. Psychoanalysis. a mental mechanism, operating consciously or unconsciously, in which one person overestimates an admired attribute of another.

idealization

/ aɪˌdɪəlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. the representation of something as ideal
2. a conception of something that dwells on its advantages and ignores its deficiencies
3. a general theoretical account of natural phenomena that ignores features that are difficult to accommodate within a theory

Word History and Origins

Origin of idealization¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; idealize + -ation

Example Sentences

This is a young man’s idealization of a dying old man glorifying his final breaths.

From Los Angeles Times

As a man who’s always on the right side of history, he manages to embody the idealization of the American spirit while critiquing its difficult reality.

From New York Times

More than implied in this 1950s-esque idealization of Americana is the segregation and bigotry that actually dominated the time.

From Salon

Waldstreicher, who teaches at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, is known for deeply researched, tightly written studies, which aim to complicate any comforting idealization of the founding.

From New York Times

Such failed attempts at art also echo earlier artistic idealizations of authoritarian leaders.

From Salon