Synonyms

castle in the air

American

noun

a fanciful or impractical notion or hope; daydream.

castle in the air British

noun

a hope or desire unlikely to be realized; daydream

"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 castle in the air

First recorded in 1570–80

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.

Fittingly for a boy in a centuries-old town in what was then Communist East Germany, his was no ordinary castle in the air.

From New York Times • Oct. 7, 2014

His face and eyes shine as he hurries towards his doom, blinded by a beautiful delusion, his own personal castle in the air.

From The Guardian • Sep. 16, 2010

“Now that castle in the air has a foundation underneath it and is becoming an impending reality.”

From Washington Post

To a certain extent the pact is still a castle in the air and the Assembly of the League is going to build up the foundations to support this castle.

From Time Magazine Archive

“I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen,” observed Jo mysteriously.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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