noun

idealism

uh-ih-DEER-lihzm

noun

The tendency to hold high, sometimes unrealistic, principles or hopes about how things should be.

"Her idealism made her want to fix every problem in the world at once."

In philosophy, the view that reality is fundamentally shaped by or dependent on the mind and its ideas.

"Berkeley's idealism argued that objects only exist as far as they are perceived."

How to Use Idealism

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishBelieving strongly in high principles or a better world, sometimes without enough regard for practical limits; also a specific school of philosophy.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the everyday sense (starry-eyed optimism) with the technical philosophical sense (a theory about the nature of reality).

Easily confused with

realism →

Word Forms

idealisms plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “idealism” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Her _____ made her want to fix every problem in the world at once.

Etymology

First recorded in English around 1796, built from "ideal" plus the suffix "-ism".

Rhymes for idealism

realism socialism vandalism capitalism liberalism surrealism journalism materialism cannibalism nationalism imperialism colonialism

See all rhymes for idealism →