blue-sky

American  

[bloo-skahy] / ˈbluˈskaɪ /

adjective

1. fanciful; impractical.

   blue-sky ideas.

2. (especially of securities) having dubious value; not financially sound.

   a blue-sky stock.

---

blue-sky British  

noun

1. (modifier) of or denoting theoretical research without regard to any future application of its result

   a blue-sky project

---

verb

1. to theorize (about something that may not lead to any practical application)

Etymology

Origin of blue-sky

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Some of this is blue-sky thinking about the future.

From BBC

At the time Higgs, who has since passed away, said in a statement: "I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research."

From BBC

When an intern tells a patient that he believes kindness is the best medicine, J.D. tersely interrupts his blue-sky meliorism with a cold splash of reality.

From Salon

Strauss, a financier in the 1920s of the city’s skyline, summed up the blue-sky optimism: “New York cannot be held back in her growth and development as the supreme city in the world.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The nights may have drawn in, but it is a weekend for blue-sky thinking and distant horizons.

From BBC

Related Words

• absurd
• bizarre
• extravagant
• fantastic
• fantastical
• fictional
• imaginative
• offbeat
• preposterous
• unreal
• whimsical