as in romanticizing
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 idealizing
Nothing wrong with idealizing and daydreaming, but to a certain extent.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Neptune can blur boundaries, so be mindful of overcommitting or idealizing people who have not shown consistency yet.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 25 Jan. 2026
Teens are already blocked from repeatedly viewing videos that could send them down dangerous content rabbit holes, such as those idealizing certain body types.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s no wishful thinking that our society will stop idealizing appearance, but framing and intrinsic motivation matter.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Neptune can blur boundaries, so be mindful of overcommitting or idealizing people who have not shown consistency yet.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 25 Jan. 2026
Teens are already blocked from repeatedly viewing videos that could send them down dangerous content rabbit holes, such as those idealizing certain body types.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s no wishful thinking that our society will stop idealizing appearance, but framing and intrinsic motivation matter.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealizing
Verb
-
Varas didn’t sound interested in romanticizing March.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
British live-fire cook Genevieve Taylor didn’t start out romanticizing cooking over an open flame, with visions of industry cred or Michelin stars dancing in her head.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That’s part of the charm of idolizing one of the sport’s greatest ball movers.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Having access to the network of former UConn superstars is still surreal for Vukosa, who grew up idolizing Breanna Stewart and attends the same high school as Hall of Famer Sue Bird and WNBA MVP Tina Charles.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Novels like Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch depict the surreal and alienating days of early parenthood with an eye to de-glamorizing the post-partum experience.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The song was seen as glamorizing Nazi ideology, antisemitism and Hitler.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After a decade of animosity, opinion polls show Americans’ views of China are softening, especially among the young.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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With hindsight perhaps softening memories of sunstroke, cast members and a number of below-the-line crew now fairly rhapsodize about the uniqueness of the shoot.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idealizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealizing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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