Meaning

noun a portrayal of something as ideal

noun (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that splits something you are ambivalent about into two representations--one good and one bad

noun something that exists only as an idea

originEtymology tree English idealize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English idealization From idealize + -ation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0