idealism

CEFRC1

/ʌɪˈdɪəlɪz(ə)m/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The belief that high principles should guide life.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An approach to philosophical enquiry, which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.

Examples

  • Idealism fights furiously against the assertion of Marxist philosophy about the knowability of the world.

  • The idealism of American bourgeois philosophers is aggressive and warlike.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ʌɪˈdiːəlɪz(ə)m/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The practice or habit of giving or attributing ideal form or character to things; treatment of things in art or literature according to ideal standards or patterns;—opposed to realism.

  2. The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.

More examples

In context

  • Faith is subjective idealism.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The young politician's blank led him to believe that all people are naturally good.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

First attested 1796, from ideal + -ism.