idealize

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled idealising

US /aɪˈdiəˌlaɪz/ UK /aɪˈdɪəˌlaɪz/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to regard or represent as perfect or better than reality

We tend to idealize the friends of our childhood.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to regard or represent as... glorifyromanticizeexalt perfect ennoble worship

Opposites

disparagedemonizevilify

Word family

Derived forms idealizationidealizeridealized

Related forms ideal idealism idealist idea

Etymology

From ideal + -ize, ultimately from Ancient Greek idea ('form, pattern'), from idein ('to see').

idea Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# idealize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /aɪˈdiəˌlaɪz/
**IPA (UK):** /aɪˈdɪəˌlaɪz/

## Meanings
1. to regard or represent as perfect or better than reality

## Examples
- We tend to idealize the friends of our childhood.

## Synonyms
- glorify
- romanticize
- exalt
- perfect
- ennoble
- worship

## Antonyms
- disparage
- demonize
- vilify

## Derived Forms
- idealization
- idealizer
- idealized

## Related Forms
- ideal
- idealism
- idealist
- idea

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: idea

## Etymology
From ideal + -ize, ultimately from Ancient Greek idea ('form, pattern'), from idein ('to see').

## AI Etymology
idealize comes from ideal + -ize, ultimately from Ancient Greek idea ('form, pattern'), from idein ('to see'). Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the verb sense is "to regard or represent as perfect or better than reality", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as ideal, idealism, idealist, and idea, and in derivatives such as idealization, idealizer, and idealized. Its semantic neighborhood includes glorify, romanticize, exalt, and perfect, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Ancient Greek idea.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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