wishful thinking

American  

noun

1. interpretation of facts, actions, words, etc., as one would like them to be rather than as they really are; imagining as actual what is not.

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wishful thinking British  

noun

1. the erroneous belief that one's wishes are in accordance with reality

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wishful thinking Idioms  

1. Interpreting matters as one would like them to be, as opposed to what they really are. For example, Matthew wanted to be a basketball player, but with his height that was wishful thinking. This term comes from Freudian psychology of the mid-1920s and soon began to be used more loosely.

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Other Word Forms

• wishful thinker
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of wishful thinking

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wishful thinking

"Hope is not the same thing as wishful thinking," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

There have always been overeager people who, through either extreme wishful thinking or some quirk of brain chemistry, have come to believe that science fiction hides secret messages or covers up for real events.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Nor is that wishful thinking: “With the launch of its GLM-5.2 model, Z.ai has mounted the most impressive Chinese challenge yet to US dominance in artificial intelligence,” writes Gavekal Research analyst Will Denyer.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Maybe it’s idealist and naive, or apple-pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking, but I believe that they can win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026

But if there is indeed an American image built of truth rather than reflecting either hostility or wishful thinking, what is this image?

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

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