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.

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blue-sky British  

noun

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

   a blue-sky project

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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

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

Eskow: This may be blue-sky thinking, but it occurs to me that the progressive movement can display leadership and vision in forming that front, at a time when those qualities seem to be lacking elsewhere.

From Salon

Straight ahead, the Pacific sparkled on the sunny, blue-sky Friday.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, it may be some blue-sky thinking from a player, no matter how brilliant, who has not won a trophy in his career for club or country.

From BBC

Related Words

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