idealism

Etymology

First attested 1796, from ideal +‎ -ism.

Noun

idealism (countable and uncountable, plural idealisms)

1. The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.
2. 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.^[1]
3. (philosophy) An approach to philosophical enquiry, which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.

References

• idealism in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• idealism in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Further reading

• "idealism" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 152.

Anagrams

• miladies