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.

Example Sentences

“A lot of people get into this wishful thinking or hypotheticals” around taking advantage of specific perks, Papadimitriou said.

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“I accept there is a degree of wishful thinking,” he says regarding his belief in his painting, which doesn’t make him any less charming a subject for the show.

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Yet wishful thinking and therapeutic benefits don’t make something true.

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This was of course wishful thinking as well as a political nonstarter.

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It’s a shot in the arm for those who believe that taxing the rich will redirect money toward working stiffs, a proposition some critics say is “wishful thinking” and would lead to capital flight.

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