wishful thinking

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Noun

wishful thinking (usually uncountable, plural wishful thinkings)

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

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 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)

(psychology) wishful thinking
Synonym: pensamento desejoso