He is not such an idealist that he cannot see the problems.
Synonyms: romantic, visionary, dreamer, Utopian More Synonyms of idealism
idealism in British English
(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 (sense 2), dualism (sense 2)
Derived forms
idealist (iˈdealist)
noun
idealistic (iˌdealˈistic)
adjective
idealistically (iˌdealˈistically)
adverb
idealism in American English
(aɪˈdiəlˌɪzəm)
noun
1.
behavior or thought based on a conception of things as they should be or as one would wish them to be; idealization
2.
a striving to achieve one's ideals
3.
imaginative treatment in art that seeks to show the artist's or author's conception of perfection; representation of imagined types, or ideals
see also realism
4. Philosophy
any of various theories which hold that:
a.
things exist only as ideas in the mind rather than as material objects independent of the mind
see also realism
b.
things in the material world are actually manifestations of an independent realm of unchanging, immaterial models or forms
see also materialism
Word origin
Fr idéalisme or Ger idealismus
Examples of 'idealism' in a sentence
idealism
It was a case of realism versus idealism.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
But what is really at issue is the space in which the distinction between realism and idealism is being drawn.
Wood, David Philosophy at the Limit (1990)
The clash of idealism and realism.
Christianity Today (2000)
Yes, if they can find the right balance between idealism and realism.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It has the energy, youthful idealism and cinematography of that era.
The Sun (2013)
They're there to tell us that our political idealism is naive.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They shared an openly expressed idealism and a belief that their jobs mattered - especially to the future of other women.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The Founders welded idealism to realism.
Roper, Jon Democracy and its Critics - Anglo-American democratic thought in the nineteenth century (1989)
At the moment, drug education is based on idealism, not realism.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
For Canning, foreign policy was about projecting political idealism and democratic values.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Subsequently they become embroiled in the future of the country - through love, money or political idealism.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
His portraits often show his subjects brimming with youthful idealism and naivety; touchingly eager for fame, rather than sullied by it.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Many times while going to school have I grasped at a wall or tree to recall myself from this abyss of idealism to the reality.
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)
Quotations
Idealism is the noble toga that political gentlemen drape over their will to powerAldous Huxley
Word lists with
idealism
Philosophical schools and doctrines
In other languages
idealism
British English: idealism NOUN
Idealism is the beliefs and behaviour of someone who has ideals and who tries to base their behaviour on these ideals.
Youthful idealism is supposed to decay when confronted with the grubby compromises of real life.
American English: idealism
Brazilian Portuguese: idealismo
Chinese: 理想主义
European Spanish: idealismo
French: idéalisme
German: Idealismus
Italian: idealismo
Japanese: 理想主義
Korean: 이상주의
European Portuguese: idealismo
Latin American Spanish: idealismo
(noun)
Definition
belief in or striving towards ideals
She never lost her respect for the idealism of the 1960s.
Synonyms
romanticism
Utopianism
quixotism
Quotation
Idealism is the noble toga that political gentlemen drape over their will to power [Aldous Huxley]