What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Optimism vs Idealism - What's the difference?

optimism | idealism |

As nouns the difference between optimism and idealism

is that optimism is a tendency to expect the best, or at least, a favourable outcome while idealism is the property of a person of having high ideals that are usually unrealizable or at odds with practical life.

optimism

English

Noun

(en-noun) (wikipedia optimism)
  • a tendency to expect the best, or at least, a favourable outcome
    • I love her youth, her beauty and above all her optimism that everything will turn out fine.
  • the doctrine that this world is the best of all possible worlds
  • the belief that good will eventually triumph over evil

    • Antonyms

    * pessimism

    Derived terms

    * optimist

    idealism

    English

    (wikipedia idealism)

    Noun

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

    • Synonyms

    * (philosophy) philosophical idealism

    Antonyms

    * (philosophy) materialism

    Derived terms

    * epistemological idealism * metaphysical idealism

    Related terms

    * idealist * idealistic * idealistically

    See also

    * realism * pragmatism * materialism * physicalism

    References

    * *

    Anagrams

    * English words suffixed with -ism