wishful thinking

noun

: the attribution of reality to what one wishes to be true or the tenuous justification of what one wants to believe

Examples of wishful thinking in a Sentence

The idea that the enemy will immediately surrender is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, unless the Mannings have privately agreed to such a move, which seems unlikely, pairing them with Buck sounds more like wishful thinking than an actual plan. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Your social calendar is running on wishful thinking today, not reality. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 Connecticut families don’t need a budget built on wishful thinking. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026 These doubters also disparage as unreliable or wishful thinking the oral histories passed down by Hemings’s descendants who have placed Jefferson in their family tree. — Andrew Lawler, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wishful thinking

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wishful thinking was in 1932

Rhymes for wishful thinking

See All Rhymes for wishful thinking

Browse Nearby Words

wishful thinker
wishful thinking
wishing
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Cite this Entry

“Wishful thinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wishful%20thinking. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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