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magical thinking

American

noun

a conviction that thinking is equivalent to doing, occurring in dreams, the thought patterns of children, and some types of mental disorders, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Example Sentences

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magical thinking

And some of what appeared to be magical thinking: “When this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

We in the space community, in my view, have been willing to engage in magical thinking this whole time.”

From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2025

Each of these proposals attempts to address real problems but are either the result of magical thinking or will do more harm than good.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025

Putnam mastered the moment; to this day, corporations demand photogenic authors, high-stakes publicity, spreadsheet tweaks and magical thinking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025

My mom’s magical thinking allows her to believe that I have total autonomy over my life.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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