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wishful

wishful

60 4.0
Wanting something to be true even when it is unlikely
  • adjective
  • /ˈwɪʃfəl/
translation icon : iluso
  • Maybe it is all her own wishful thinking
  • wishful thinking
  • engage in wishful thinking
  • wishful fantasy

I think I believe what Christ said, and I believe that's not, that's not rooted in wishful thinking.

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Examples

  • Guess it was just wishful thinking.

  • That is where wishful thinking will take you.

  • So it's kind of interesting here, another round of wishful thinking.

  • Yeah, that was wishful thinking on your part, but we never did.

  • That would be wishful thinking.

  • But this had been wishful thinking on her part; she accepted that now.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • A little bit of wishful thinking thrown in, I think.

  • Afterward, I wondered if maybe that was wishful thinking on his part.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Now, I'm guessing, really, that this is just wishful thinking, but senior GOP officials are exploring options if Trump drops out.

  • Despite the odds, she still held on to her wishful dreams of becoming a famous artist.

Synonyms

hopeful
vswishful
189 1.8

Feeling positive and expecting a good result

is focused on positive expectation rather than intense longing for unlikely things
hoped-for
vswishful
28 3.5

Wanted or expected because people want a good result

is used more for wanting despite low chances rather than expecting success
desirous
vswishful
9 7.2

Wanting something very much

is about wanting even when chances are low
longed-for
vswishful
9 5.5

A thing people want and hope for after many years

is the same strong want but often implies it is unlikely
fond
vswishful
5 6.1

Hope or belief that is unlikely to come true

is about wanting that shows strong longing without calling it foolish
wished-for
vswishful
4 4.2

Wanted very much and hoped for

is seen as wanted even if the chance of it happening is small
aspiring
vswishful
3 3.5

Wanting to become successful in a particular job or activity

focuses on ambition for achievement rather than longing for unlikely outcomes
overoptimistic
vswishful
1 5.1

Expecting only very good results that are unlikely to happen

is about expecting success despite poor odds rather than intense longing

Antonyms

283 3.7

Having sensible ideas about what can be achieved

Compounds

wishful thinking
  • Informal
45 4.1

Believing something you want will happen even though it is unlikely

wishful thinker
  • Informal
1 7.0

A person who believes what they want rather than what the facts show

How Wishful

desperate
704 3.3
yearning
8 5.5
wishful
60 4.0
hopeful
189 1.8

Surface Forms

wishful positive

Morphology

wishful = wish (transparent) = wish + ful

Standard adjectival formation from 'wish' with '-ful' meaning 'full of' (clear to learners).

Etymology

The word wishful comes from wish, meaning a strong 'want', and the ending -ful, meaning 'full of'. So, like hopeful, wishful means 'full of' wishes or hoping for something that may not happen.