wishful thinking

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noun
  1. interpretation of facts, actions, words, etc., as one would like them to be rather than as they really are; imagining as actual what is not.

Origin of wishful thinking

1
First recorded in 1925–30

Other words from wishful thinking

  • wishful thinker, noun

Words Nearby wishful thinking

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How to use wishful thinking in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wishful thinking

wishful thinking

noun
  1. the erroneous belief that one's wishes are in accordance with reality

Derived forms of wishful thinking

  • wishful thinker, noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wishful thinking

wishful thinking

Interpreting matters as one would like them to be, as opposed to what they really are. For example, Matthew wanted to be a basketball player, but with his height that was wishful thinking. This term comes from Freudian psychology of the mid-1920s and soon began to be used more loosely.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.