1. To portray or regard someone or something as more perfect than the evidence or reality warrants.
2. To simplify a model or representation by assuming ideal conditions or omitting selected complications.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- idealize a person
- idealize the past
On the page
The portrait idealized the person by removing the ordinary signs of age.
The narrator idealized the past despite the contemporary record of conflict.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- idealize
- Past tense
- idealized
- Past participle
- idealized
- Present participle
- idealizing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- idealize
- Present continuous
- am/is/are idealizing
- Present perfect
- have/has idealized
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been idealizing
- Past
- idealized
- Past continuous
- was/were idealizing
- Past perfect
- had idealized
- Past perfect continuous
- had been idealizing
- Future
- will idealize
- Future continuous
- will be idealizing
- Future perfect
- will have idealized
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been idealizing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: idealize; idealizes; idealized; idealized; idealizing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: artistic orientation, figurative interpretation, life writing, narrative knowledge. Disciplines: literary writing, literary analysis, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: idealizes.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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