How to Use idealism in a Sentence

idealism

noun
  • That idealism lives on in a book's pages — and in many hearts.
    — Lynn Petrak, chicagotribune.com, 14 Sep. 2017
  • And both of them are hyped up on hormones and full of idealism.
    — Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
  • For some, though, lagom itself brings out a kind of idealism.
    — Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024
  • Don’t give up your idealism, and try to find the best way to promote your ideas.
    — Patricia R. Olsen, New York Times, 2 June 2017
  • And then there is the low-level idealism that runs through the novel.
    — Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 15 May 2021
  • For me, it’s kind of wrapped up in nostalgia, and in the idealism of youth.
    — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 31 July 2022
  • The problem is that your idealism is aroused and you might be tempted to give away the farm.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 28 June 2025
  • In the years that followed, her idealism gave way, replaced by anger.
    — oregonlive, 27 Sep. 2022
  • This is a painting about youthful idealism, about hopes and dreams.
    — Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
  • Airbnb was a great business idea, and its founders’ idealism still trickles down.
    — Peter Vanham, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2023
  • But for that idealism to be viable, there has to be a benefit.
    — Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022
  • The opera works best when hints of defiant idealism are allowed to creep in.
    — New York Times, 20 May 2021
  • Lirio Marcelo’s track record proves this isn’t idealism.
    — Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The war killed the very idealism that sent the doughboys over there to defend freedom and peace.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2022
  • Above all, there is the idealism and esprit de corps that sport engenders.
    — Gerard Baker, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020
  • That’s the flip side of progress, of idealism, of a restless and creative spirit.
    — Chris Erskine, latimes.com, 19 July 2017
  • What is the trade-off between courage and safety; idealism and caution; hope for change and fear of it?
    — Ben Rhodes, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2024
  • The most successful try to reconcile their idealism with the need to pay the bills.
    — The Economist, 14 July 2018
  • Wilson believes that’s a myopic way to view his idealism.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • The lyrics are sort of an understated remark about the loss of idealism.
    — Marc Myers, WSJ, 14 July 2021
  • In a world where the next geopolitical shock is always two years away, clean heat isn’t idealism.
    — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Mclusky were always rooted more in bile than hormones, contempt and wit over quick-burn idealism.
    — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 25 Mar. 2026
  • He was deeply affected by the idealism and bravery of the students.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023
  • At the outset of the TON project, the primer had brimmed over with idealism.
    — Darren Loucaides, Wired, 8 Feb. 2022
  • All of this is true, and the idealism of it is as inspiring as the naivete of it is disquieting.
    — Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2020
  • That does a lot to destroy the idealism of young people that usually pushes them to act.
    — Anne Barnard, New York Times, 5 July 2019
  • Today the loss of that idealism seems as poignant as Marshall’s failure.
    — The Economist, 3 May 2018
  • He was kind of inspired by a lot of the best of communism, the best of socialism, the idealism, the hope.
    — Robert Sullivan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
  • But each was, in his own way, hopelessly afflicted by idealism.
    — Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025
  • There’s a sense of idealism and altruism, and wanting to make a difference in the world.
    — Caitlin Gibson, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'idealism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: