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.

---

wishful thinking British  

noun

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

• wishful thinker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of wishful thinking

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

If this sounds like wishful thinking, you can hardly be blamed.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

And maybe that’s just wishful thinking, but it’s enough to inspire both professionals and amateurs.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

“This is not just our wishful thinking, it is what we hear from our customers.”

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

When governments and their advisers are, as matter of course, using AI to improve their decision-making, expect fewer purblind, tunnel-visioned strategic decisions based on wishful thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

It was wishful thinking, and Gold knew it.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin