Idealize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /aɪˈdɪəlaɪz/

Definitions

1. To picture a person or concept as flawless and admirable while neglecting any shortcomings or realistic imperfections
2. To portray someone or something as better than it truly is by highlighting only the positive attributes and overlooking the negatives
3. To represent a person, idea, or object as perfect and without fault, disregarding any shortcomings or realistic flaws

Etymology: "Idealize" is a plain formation: the adjective "ideal" with the verb-forming suffix "-ize," which turns a quality into an action, so to idealize something is to make it ideal in one's treatment of it. The suffix came into English from Greek through Latin and French, and it was attached freely to native and borrowed bases to create new verbs. The base "ideal" traces back to Greek "idea," meaning a form or appearance, and it reached English through Late Latin "idealis" and Medieval Latin, where it took on the sense of existing as a mental pattern rather than in fact. The verb shares its formation with French "idéaliser," and the two words developed in parallel, the English verb following the same path of building from a noun-derived adjective.

Synonyms: envision, romanticize, fantasize, perfectionize, elevate

Antonyms: realize, diminish, disillusion, devalue, downgrade