Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
905,719,663 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

idealism

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
i·de·al·ism  (-d-lzm)
n.
1. The act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal form.
2. Pursuit of one's ideals.
3. Idealized treatment of a subject in literature or art.
4. Philosophy The theory that the object of external perception, in itself or as perceived, consists of ideas.

idealism
Noun
1. belief in or striving towards ideals
2. the tendency to represent things in their ideal forms, rather than as they are
3. Philosophy the doctrine that material objects and the external world do not exist in reality, but are creations of the mind
idealist n
idealistic adj

idealism
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. Cf. realism.idealist, n.idealistic, adj.
See also: Philosophy
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.idealism - (philosophy) the philosophical theory that ideas are the only reality
philosophy - the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics
philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory - a doctrine accepted by adherents to a philosophy
2.idealism - impracticality by virtue of thinking of things in their ideal form rather than as they really are
impracticality - concerned with theoretical possibilities rather than actual use
romanticism - impractical romantic ideals and attitudes
knight errantry, quixotism - quixotic (romantic and impractical) behavior
3.idealism - elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued
magnanimousness, nobleness, grandeur, nobility - the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct
Translations
Spanish idealism [aɪˈdɪəlɪzəm] nidealismo

?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
We can begin to state the difference between realism and idealism in terms of this opposition of contents and objects.
Romance may be called Idealism in the realm of sentiment.
Idealism led him to philosophic anarchy, and his family threw him off.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.