wishful thinking

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

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• wishful thinker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wishful thinking¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

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.