idealism
/ʌɪˈdɪəlɪz(ə)m/noun
idealism is spelled I-D-E-A-L-I-S-M: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, idealism means “The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of idealism is idealisms.
How many letters and syllables are in idealism?
| Letters | 8: I-D-E-A-L-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is idealism?
Idealism appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce idealism?
- /ʌɪˈdɪəlɪz(ə)m/
- /ʌɪˈdiːəlɪz(ə)m/
Idealism has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-idealism.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of idealism
- idealisms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does idealism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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.
- 3
An approach to philosophical enquiry, which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Idealism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | idéalisme |
| German | Idealismus , Idealisierung |
| Spanish | idealismo |
| Portuguese | idealismo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does idealism come from?
First attested 1796, from ideal + -ism.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).