wishful thinking
Preserved but no longer current.
A popular psycho- analytical term that has gained general acceptance as describing the unconscious expression of one's desire in accordance with one's opinion; the thinking a thing to be true because one wants it to be so.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “wishful thinking” mean?
A popular psycho- analytical term that has gained general acceptance as describing the unconscious expression of one's desire in accordance with one's opinion; the thinking a thing to be true because one wants it to be so.
Is “wishful thinking” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.