Alice-in-Wonderland

[al-is-in-wuhn-der-land]

adjective

1. resembling a dream or fantasy; unreal.

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

Alice-in-Wonderland

adjective

1. fantastic; irrational

Word History and Origins

Origin of Alice-in-Wonderland¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Word History and Origins

Origin of Alice-in-Wonderland¹

C20: alluding to the absurdities of Wonderland in Lewis Carroll's book

Example Sentences

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

From Seattle Times

In Waterlog, his celebrated chronicle of swimming through Britain’s waterways, the naturalist Roger Deakin described swimming as having a transformative, Alice-in-Wonderland quality; it was an activity that had power over his perception of self and of time.

From The Guardian

In “Waterlog,” his celebrated chronicle of swimming through Britain’s waterways, the naturalist Roger Deakin described swimming as having a transformative, Alice-in-Wonderland quality; it was an activity that had power over his perception of self and of time.

From New York Times

Powell has said he is not keen on negative rates – an Alice-in-Wonderland development that has one Danish bank actually paying borrowers to take money off their hands – but it is hard to see what other tools he has.

From The Guardian

McConnell’s Democratic counterpart, Chuck Schumer, described this as the “Alice-in-Wonderland” approach: “First the trial, then the evidence.”

From Slate