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Alice-in-Wonderland

American

[al-is-in-wuhn-der-land] / ˈæl ɪs ɪnˈwʌn dərˌlænd /

adjective

resembling a dream or fantasy; unreal.

an Alice-in-Wonderland world of incompleted projects and wishful thinking.

Alice-in-Wonderland British

adjective

fantastic; irrational

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Alice-in-Wonderland

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In this new Alice-in-Wonderland semi-reality, we need honest, accountable, real journalism.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026

A: Welcome to the Alice-in-Wonderland world of prescription drug insurance.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2022

She threw a welcome party for herself at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, a beautiful old building with black and white marble, Alice-in-Wonderland floors.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2018

We have no illusion that Abu Zubaydah will be cleared by this Alice-in-Wonderland tribunal.

From Time • Sep. 8, 2016

Alfred Noyes understands the heart of the child; as is proved by his Flower of Old Japan, and Forest of Wild Thyme, a kind of singing Alice-in-Wonderland.

From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by Phelps, William Lyon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023