as in romanticized
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as in idolized
to represent or think of as better than reality would warrant
he had a tendency to idealize his heroes and believe they could do no wrong
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Recent Examples of idealized
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
And while downtown Bentonville is presented as an idealized small town of the past, the city’s building boom and traffic jams point to a rural past that no longer exists.
—Steve Lackmeyer, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Its last transit, 1943–1957, unfolded during and after World War II, when society longed for peace, harmony and idealized relationships.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Padmavati comes to represent idealized or divine beauty, Ratansen the seeker, and his journey a spiritual quest, reframing the story beyond its historical context.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
What happens when the idealized image is you?
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
With eight episodes’ worth of time to fill, Boston could have really dug into the relationships between fiancés and spouses, parents and children, sisters and brothers, idealized romance and the reality of spending most of your life with a person.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
That idealized story is based on real change in a region that suffered extraordinary structural decline when a century of dependence on heavy industry imploded in the 1970s.
—Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
After years of research into these issues, Kuittinen has collaborated with Scandinavian construction companies Aulis Lundell, Vesivek, and SSAB, to build his idealized sustainable structure.
—Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2026
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
These observations come the day after Meghan posted idealized, influencer-style images of her children celebrating Easter by running around their lush Montecito garden, hunting for Easter eggs.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Practices often idealized for their organic nature can still have environmental impacts if they are not properly implemented.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
California Adventure, at its most idealized, stood for more than an assortment of film properties.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The characters are mostly idealized, the action is predictable, and its core conflicts derivative of those in the minds of most American teenagers in the middle of the 20th century.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Post-Aristotle, infinity was always idealized, never realized — a philosophical construct at best.
—Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
For most home cooks, a once-a-year turkey is a gastronomic absurdity, needlessly idealized, inevitably formidable to prepare.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
As the latest in a line of black, child singing stars (Little Esther, Frankie Lymon, Little Stevie Wonder) and family groups (Staple Singers, 5 Stairsteps), the J5 fulfilled the idealized model for each category.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
And while downtown Bentonville is presented as an idealized small town of the past, the city’s building boom and traffic jams point to a rural past that no longer exists.
—Steve Lackmeyer, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Its last transit, 1943–1957, unfolded during and after World War II, when society longed for peace, harmony and idealized relationships.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
Padmavati comes to represent idealized or divine beauty, Ratansen the seeker, and his journey a spiritual quest, reframing the story beyond its historical context.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
What happens when the idealized image is you?
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
With eight episodes’ worth of time to fill, Boston could have really dug into the relationships between fiancés and spouses, parents and children, sisters and brothers, idealized romance and the reality of spending most of your life with a person.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026
That idealized story is based on real change in a region that suffered extraordinary structural decline when a century of dependence on heavy industry imploded in the 1970s.
—Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
After years of research into these issues, Kuittinen has collaborated with Scandinavian construction companies Aulis Lundell, Vesivek, and SSAB, to build his idealized sustainable structure.
—Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Mint Julep evokes a sense of 200 years of Southern history that is almost impossibly idealized, and nobody seems to mind.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
These observations come the day after Meghan posted idealized, influencer-style images of her children celebrating Easter by running around their lush Montecito garden, hunting for Easter eggs.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Practices often idealized for their organic nature can still have environmental impacts if they are not properly implemented.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
California Adventure, at its most idealized, stood for more than an assortment of film properties.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The characters are mostly idealized, the action is predictable, and its core conflicts derivative of those in the minds of most American teenagers in the middle of the 20th century.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Post-Aristotle, infinity was always idealized, never realized — a philosophical construct at best.
—Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
For most home cooks, a once-a-year turkey is a gastronomic absurdity, needlessly idealized, inevitably formidable to prepare.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealized
Adjective
-
Souvenirs of a romanticized fin-de-siècle Ruritania are presented without interest or elaboration.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
But the brief, costly, impractical service still became one of the most romanticized episodes in American history—a legacy wildly disproportionate to its lifespan.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Growing up in Harlem, Quié idolized Gabriel, the son of sharecroppers and one of twenty kids.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Growing up, McIlroy idolized the 82-time PGA Tour winner and aimed to emulate his game after Woods.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Schools now feverishly compete to prepare graduates with simplistic educational remedies driven by competitive branding agendas, providing symbolic curriculum overhauls as recruiting and job-placement signals, regardless of whether such courses share a coherent body of core knowledge.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This growing reliance on such frameworks underscores the industry’s shift from symbolic commitments toward practical implementation of due diligence and credible sustainability practices.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Often, fires are depicted in an overly dramatic or glamorized way, but each home represents a person’s life.—
TIME Photo Department,
Time,
23 Dec. 2025
-
My journey will be publicized and glamorized, but my evolution process is sacred to me.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
23 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Wildflowers such as purple lupines and red paintbrush color the landscape, and the lengthy days and warm, sunny weather mean more time for hiking.—
Zoe Baillargeon,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Pollen-free hybrids produce large flowerheads in a range of colors including white, red, yellow, orange, bicolor, and even purple.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This hit, however, has been softened by the fact that Robinhood has succeeded in growing other business lines, notably banking and prediction markets, allowing its overall revenue to remain steady.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
When the roasted oysters arrive, their usual brininess is softened by a fragrant coconut curry and sharp Asiago cheese.—
Natalie Hoy,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealized. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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