idealize
See as perfect
To idealize is to regard or represent something as perfect or better than it actually is.
People idealize their childhoods, romantic partners, or historical figures, glossing over flaws and complications: She tends to idealize the past.
The noun idealization describes this process.
An idealized version of something exists more in imagination than reality.
Revere to excess
- hero-worshipUncritical excessive admiration
- venerateHonor with deep respect
- revereDeeply respect and admire
- lionizeTreat as famous
worship · adore · esteem · glorify · cherish · put on a pedestal · look up to · adulate
Metaphor for naive optimism
- sentimentalizeIndulge in excessive emotion
- glamorizePresent as more attractive
- beautifyMake more attractive
- embellishAdd decorative elements
whitewash · sugarcoat · fairy-tale · storybook · dreamy · wistful · longing · yearning
Misleading sensory impression
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
- pipe dreamUnrealistic aspiration
- quixoticImpractically pursuing lofty goals
naive · impractical · unattainable · fanciful · overestimate · misjudge · distort · misperceive
Entirely without fault
- paragonFlawless model to emulate
- epitomePerfect representative of type
- quintessencePurest embodiment of something
- exemplarTypical perfect instance
pinnacle · impeccable · unblemished · immaculate · consummate · pristine · archetype · sublime
Ideal, blissful place
- elysiumIdeal realm of joy
- nirvanaRelease from cyclical existence
- promised landHoped-for place of fulfillment
- heavenSky or bliss
idyllic · halcyon · golden age · utopianism · perfectibility · harmonious · blissful · millenarianism
idolize
Revere to excess
- hero-worshipUncritical excessive admiration
- venerateHonor with deep respect
- revereDeeply respect and admire
lionize · worship · adore · esteem · glorify · cherish · put on a pedestal · look up to · adulate · emulate
rose-colored glasses
Metaphor for naive optimism
- sentimentalizeIndulge in excessive emotion
- glamorizePresent as more attractive
- beautifyMake more attractive
embellish · whitewash · sugarcoat · fairy-tale · storybook · dreamy · wistful · longing · yearning · nostalgia
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
- pipe dreamUnrealistic aspiration
quixotic · naive · impractical · unattainable · fanciful · overestimate · misjudge · distort · misperceive · cloud-cuckoo-land
flawless
Entirely without fault
- paragonFlawless model to emulate
- epitomePerfect representative of type
- quintessencePurest embodiment of something
exemplar · pinnacle · impeccable · unblemished · immaculate · consummate · pristine · archetype · sublime · transcendent
paradise
Ideal, blissful place
- elysiumIdeal realm of joy
- nirvanaRelease from cyclical existence
- promised landHoped-for place of fulfillment
heaven · idyllic · halcyon · golden age · utopianism · perfectibility · harmonious · blissful · millenarianism · lotus land
- rose-tinted thinkingglorify, sugarcoat, embellish, prettify, sentimentalize
- mental processesthinking, think, reasoning, cognition, pondering
- devotiondevotion, adoration, reverence, devotions, piety
- narcissismnarcissist, narcissistic personality disorder, ego, vanity, self-love
- venerationvenerate, revere, reverence, glorify, exalt
- writing verbsnarrate, describe, recount, chronicle, transcribe
idealizesee clearly
demythologize · disillusion · deglamorize · come to terms with
idealizedespise
Hate with contempt
loathe · detest · scorn · hold in contempt · look down on
- youthful idealismEarnest hope before disillusionment
- romantic idealismBelief in idealized love
- American idealismFaith in national moral destiny
- idealized beautyImagined physical flawlessness
idealistic, idealism, idealist, idealized, idealization, idealizing, idealizes, idealise, idealised