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

Last year a study put paid to magical thinking.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Metcalfe’s pursuit of revelation in a single lost poem is magical thinking, a relentless grasping for a chimera.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s sort of magical thinking—pay no attention to the pattern behind the curtain.

Read more on Slate

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

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Culture, under the grip of gangster capitalism, has become a vehicle for magical thinking, a tool for distracting the masses from the cruel realities of economic stagnation and social inequality.

Read more on Salon