wishful thinking
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wishful thinking
A way of thinking in which you judge a situation or the future as you would like it to be, rather than seeing it realistically and on the basis of facts. It is the interpretation of facts according to one's own wishes.
Seine Hoffnung, die Prüfung ohne Lernen zu bestehen, war reines Wunschdenken.
His hope of passing the exam without studying was pure wishful thinking.
The word is a clear compound of 'der Wunsch' (wish) and 'das Denken' (thinking). So it describes thinking that is guided by wishes rather than by reality.
Seine Annahme, er würde im Lotto gewinnen, ist pures Wunschdenken.
His assumption that he would win the lottery is pure wishful thinking.
As an abstract term, 'Wunschdenken' (wishful thinking) is used almost exclusively in the singular. A plural form practically does not exist.
Die Politik des Unternehmens basierte mehr auf Wunschdenken als auf Fakten.
The company's policy was based more on wishful thinking than on facts.
'Wunschdenken' (wishful thinking) is very often combined with adjectives such as 'rein' (pure), 'bloß' (mere), or 'pur' (pure) to emphasize that an idea is completely unrealistic.
Die Vorstellung, dass sich das Problem von selbst löst, ist reines Wunschdenken.
The idea that the problem will solve itself is pure wishful thinking.
imagination / fantasy
'Fantasie' and 'Wunschdenken' both have to do with ideas that do not necessarily match reality. But 'Fantasie' is generally the ability to think things up and can be creative or playful. 'Wunschdenken' is narrower: you believe or hope something because you want it to be true, even though the facts speak against it. The words can be confused when someone is talking about a nice but unrealistic idea. 'Fantasie' fits with free images in the mind; 'Wunschdenken' fits with an unrealistic assessment of reality.
Dass die Prüfung ohne Lernen leicht wird, ist leider nur Wunschdenken.
The idea that the exam will be easy without studying is unfortunately just wishful thinking.
Das Team entwickelt mit Fantasie neue Ideen für das Schulfest.
The team uses imagination to develop new ideas for the school festival.