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idealism
6 dictionary results for: idealism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
i·de·al·ism       [ahy-dee-uh-liz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.the cherishing or pursuit of high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
2.the practice of idealizing.
3.something idealized; an ideal representation.
4.Fine Arts. treatment of subject matter in a work of art in which a mental conception of beauty or form is stressed, characterized usually by the selection of particular features of various models and their combination into a whole according to a standard of perfection. Compare naturalism (def. 2), realism (def. 3a).
5.Philosophy.
a.any system or theory that maintains that the real is of the nature of thought or that the object of external perception consists of ideas.
b.the tendency to represent things in an ideal form, or as they might or should be rather than as they are, with emphasis on values.
[Origin: 1790–1800; ideal + -ism, prob. modeled on G Idealismus]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
i·de·al·ism       (ī-dē'ə-lĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. The act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal form.
  2. Pursuit of one's ideals.
  3. Idealized treatment of a subject in literature or art.
  4. Philosophy The theory that the object of external perception, in itself or as perceived, consists of ideas.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
idealism

noun
1. (philosophy) the philosophical theory that ideas are the only reality 
2. impracticality by virtue of thinking of things in their ideal form rather than as they really are 
3. elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued [syn: high-mindedness] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
idealism

An approach to philosophy that regards mind, spirit, or ideas as the most fundamental kinds of reality, or at least as governing our experience of the ordinary objects in the world. Idealism is opposed to materialism, naturalism, and realism. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was an idealist; so was Immanuel Kant.


The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Idealism

I*de"al*ism\, n. [Cf. F. id['e]alisme.]

1. The quality or state of being ideal.

2. Conception of the ideal; imagery.

3. (Philos.) The system or theory that denies the existence of material bodies, and teaches that we have no rational grounds to believe in the reality of anything but ideas and their relations.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Idealism

I*de"al*ism\, n. 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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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