Skip to main content
blue-sky thinking

blue-sky thinking

1 6.4
A way to find new ideas that ignores practical limits
  • noun
  • /bluː skaɪ ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : pensamiento creativo
  • During the workshop, participants were encouraged to embrace blue-sky thinking and explore ideas without limitations.

So, you know, part, you never know where blue sky thinking that's not aimed at any utilitarian advantage.

Examples

  • And you need to do some serious Blue-skies thinking.

  • But the true blue sky thinking theorist has to watch out for this affliction and consciously work at keeping an open mind.

  • Some blue-sky thinking had envisioned the possibility of using these to capture bits of comets or meteors one day.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The team engaged in blue-sky thinking to brainstorm innovative solutions for the upcoming project.

  • His blue-sky thinking led to a groundbreaking proposal that redefined the company's direction.

Synonyms

creative thinking
vsblue-sky thinking
5 3.7

Thinking in new ways to make things or solve problems

is less bound by current constraints and practical limits
out of the box thinking
vsblue-sky thinking
  • Jargon
1 4.4

To solve problems using new creative ideas

is freer from current constraints and practical limits
lateral thinking
vsblue-sky thinking
1 5.3

A way to solve problems by looking at them from new angles

is more speculative and not limited by current practical considerations
divergent thinking
vsblue-sky thinking
6.3

A way of thinking that comes up with many different ideas to solve a problem

is more unconcerned with practicality and present constraints
imaginativeness
vsblue-sky thinking
6.6

Ability to think of new and creative ideas

is specifically free from current limits and practical constraints

Antonyms

26 3.9

Being useful and likely to work well in real situations

8.1

A preference for usual ways of thinking or behaving, for example in art

How Creative

blue-sky thinking
  • Jargon
1 6.4
practicality
26 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

blue-sky + thinking

The phrase relies on a metaphorical extension of 'blue-sky' (evoking open, unobstructed sky) combined with 'thinking' to mean unconstrained, highly creative ideation. This relation is partially predictable from the parts but is figurative and somewhat jargon-like, so a B1 learner who knows the words may guess a related sense but not reliably infer the precise business/creative meaning without exposure.

Etymology

Blue-sky thinking comes from the picture of a wide, clear blue sky with no clouds or walls, so ideas can fly anywhere. That's why the phrase means 'creative ideas that are not held back by practical limits'.