magical thinking

noun

1. 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

Entire countries engaged in this magical thinking, hoping to rely on herd immunity brought about by vaccines.

From Vox

Except, a year and change into the pandemic, the one constant of the pandemic has been that no amount of magical thinking can will it away.

From Vox

He seemed to dismiss their testimony, Grant said, as the magical thinking of supporters who were personally and heavily invested in Brooklyn’s success.

From ProPublica

Still, even as we stare hard facts in the face, a host of excuses disguised as stories—a whole bag of Tuits—remain in the cultural narrative atmosphere, propping up the magical thinking required to keep delaying action.

From Time

It’s not a statement of fact so much as an act of magical thinking.

From Time

People notoriously avoid the doctor for this reason; magical thinking pops in.

From The Daily Beast

My essential piece of magical thinking around writing is that it is a relationship, a collaboration, between me and the mystery.

From The Daily Beast

The magical thinking lies not in saying that the world is interconnected, but rather in insisting that there is no overlap.

From The Daily Beast

Similar magical thinking is emerging recently about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From The Daily Beast

Our African-American communities have largely bought into a form of magical thinking.

From The Daily Beast