IDEALIZATION Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

idealization

noun

Definition of idealization

as in romanticization

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of idealization The resurrection of ingredients was in service of flavor, not some false antebellum idealization. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The film is admirably committed to documenting this lifestyle without much idealization or condemnation. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 How to critique technological solutionism without embracing rural idealization and nostalgia of the kind entangled with nationalism and völkisch thought? — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 Neptune, on the other hand, is the planet of dreams, illusions, spirituality, idealization, confusion and surrender. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 Whether that’s true or just an idealization is beside the point; such stories serve as an enormous source of pride and identity. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026 The student had an extensive social media presence that showed an idealization of other school shooters and an affinity for antisemitic and Nazi ideologies. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026 Officials censored, revised, and rewrote theater repertoire to remove any idealization of the pre-revolutionary past and add content that glorified Soviet rule. — Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idealization

Noun

His signature fusion of gore and glamor has caught him some flak over the years, most prominently around the romanticization of harrowing true crime events.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
It is characterized by a romanticization of traditional elite academia, references to classic literature, and a mysterious atmosphere.

— Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Definition of romanticization

Noun

He is honored on the UPS website, and the company’s leaders routinely pay him reverence.

— Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
His reverence for her motherhood — which the film avoids asking her about, substituting discussion with endless visuals of her breastfeeding and swinging her children through the waves — echoes the themes of season one.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of reverence

Noun

His face appearing on the big screen was naturally greeted by cheers of adoration from the stands and would normally have been a pure reason to smile.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
The filmmaker was showered with love and adoration by appreciative fans.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of adoration

Noun

Neither maudlin nor melodramatic, and without any glorification, the song is infected by the same chilling gloom which has glommed onto the best of Messrs Linkous, Berman, and Drake.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Grande became the face of an ongoing conversation around health, and the cultural pendulum swing away from body positivity to the glorification of thinness, ignited by the proliferation of weight-loss drugs.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of glorification

Noun

Self, who was born in Harlem in 1990 and lives and works in New York, described her as being representative of the city’s spirit, rather than as a specific figure of veneration.

— News Desk, Artforum, 10 Sep. 2026
This, to him, seemed an image of Our Lady and her veneration.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of veneration

Noun

But Ditelberg said a court could conclude that requiring an account to retain individual shares is still an investment decision — an argument that may carry more weight after the Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference.

— Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
All that requisite lightness and deference when there was nothing light or deferential about her.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of deference

Noun

Beige is a bit too basic for our liking, whereas camel brings cozy warmth and chic sophistication with its golden-brown undertones.

— InStyle, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026
Anyone who’s had a game console and played Madden has arranged depth charts to their liking and made game-management decisions to feel like a head coach.

— Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of liking

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idealists

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“Idealization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idealization. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of idealization

noun

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