wishful
wishful — 形容詞
- wishfulpositive
- more wishfulcomparative
- most wishfulsuperlative
1. based on what you hope will happen rather than on what the real situation makes
一廂情願的
只憑希望不顧現實
based on what you hope will happen rather than on what the real situation makes possible — used especially when someone expects a good result that has almost no chance of coming true, like thinking you will get a top job without any experience.
Yara knew her plan to win the lottery was just wishful thinking.
Yara 知道自己想中樂透的計畫只是一廂情願的想法。
wishful thinking — fixed phrase for unrealistic hopes
The idea that rents will drop next month is pure wishful thinking, say local experts.
根據當地專家的說法，認為下個月房租會下降的想法純粹是一廂情願。
pure wishful thinking — intensifier pattern
Ignacio dismissed the fans' hope for a championship as wishful thinking.
Ignacio 認為球迷對冠軍的期望只是一廂情願，不以為然。
Wei's wishful belief that his lost ring would turn up kept him searching the house for days.
Wei 一廂情願地相信他的戒指會找回來，這讓他連續好幾天在家裡四處搜尋。
It was wishful thinking for Élise to expect the garden to grow without any water or care.
Élise 指望花園不澆水、不照顧就能生長，這只是一廂情願的想法。
- unrealistic
broader term — describes anything not grounded in reality, not necessarily tied to personal desire
- hopeful
positive and can be realistic; 'wishful' specifically implies the hope is unlikely to come true
- fanciful
suggests imagination or whimsy rather than desire overriding reality; often used for creative ideas
- delusional
much stronger and closer to clinical language; implies a complete disconnect from reality, not just optimism
文法句型
wishful + noun (thinking, belief, thoughts)
it is wishful thinking + to-infinitive / that-clause
用法筆記
By far the most common use of this word is in the fixed expression 'wishful thinking', which refers to a belief that something desired will happen despite strong evidence against it. The adjective can also modify nouns like 'belief', 'thoughts', or 'hopes', but these uses are less frequent.