idealism
noun
- philosophical view that reality is immaterial
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ʌɪˈdɪəlɪz(ə)m/ / /ʌɪˈdiːəlɪz(ə)m/
noun
Etymology: First attested 1796, from ideal + -ism.
- The property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.
- 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.
- An approach to philosophical enquiry, which asserts that direct and immediate knowledge can only be had of ideas or mental pictures.