wishful thinking

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

wishful thinking (usually uncountable, plural wishful thinkings)

1. (idiomatic, psychology) The illusion that what one would like to be true is actually true.
2. (idiomatic) Decision-making based on self-delusion.

Related terms

• hopium
• wishcasting

Translations

illusion that what one would like is true

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一廂情願／一厢情愿 (zh) (yīxiāngqíngyuàn), 痴心妄想 (zh) (chīxīnwàngxiǎng), 如意算盤／如意算盘 (zh) (rúyì suànpán), 妄想 (zh) (wàngxiǎng), 痴想 (zh) (chīxiǎng)

• Czech: zbožné přání n
• Danish: ønsketænkning c
• Dutch: wensdenken (nl) n
• Estonian: soovmõtlemine
• Faroese: ynskishugsan f
• Finnish: toiveajattelu (fi)
• French: vœu pieux (fr) m
• German: Wunschdenken (de) n
• Greek: ευσεβείς πόθοι m or pl (efseveís póthoi)
• Hebrew: תקוות שווא
• Hungarian: vágyteljesítő/​vágyvezérelt/​vágyelvű gondolkodás
• Icelandic: óskhyggja f
• Italian: pia illusione f, pio desiderio m, mero desiderio m
• Japanese: 希望的観測 (きぼうてきかんそく, kibōteki kansoku), 甘い考え (あまいかんがえ, amai kangae), 皮算用 (ja) (かわざんよう, kawazan'yō)
• Latin: pium desiderium n
• Latvian: vēlmju domāšana
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ønsketenkning (no) m or f

• Polish: chciejstwo (pl) n, pobożne życzenie (pl) n, myślenie życzeniowe (pl) n (calqued from English)
• Portuguese: wishful thinking m, pensamento desejoso m
• Russian: приня́тие жела́емого за действи́тельное n (prinjátije želájemovo za dejstvítelʹnoje) (used with verbs выдавать (vydavatʹ) and принимать (prinimatʹ))
• Serbo-Croatian: samozavaravanje (sh)
• Spanish: ilusión (es) f, espejismo (es) m, pensamiento ilusorio m, voluntarismo m, el cuento de la lechera (colloquial)
• Swedish: önsketänkande n
• Turkish: hüsnükuruntu (tr)

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English wishful thinking.

Noun

wishful thinking m (uncountable)

1. (psychology) wishful thinking

   Synonym: pensamento desejoso