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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

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

Last year a study put paid to magical thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

The idea that abandoning this logic would lead to a lower cost per megawatt is magical thinking, defying technical plausibility, historical reality and common sense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025

Because of their positions, politicians are often more tempted than most to indulge in this magical thinking.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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