1
as in ridiculous
not likely to occur in the real world
The movie's unrealistic dialogue kept distracting me from the story.
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2
as in unreasonable
based on what is wanted or hoped for rather than on what is possible or likely
He had unrealistic expectations about the type of apartment he could afford on his meager salary. The valuation placed on this company is completely unrealistic.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unrealistic
Experts increasingly agree that decarbonization without nuclear power is unrealistic.
—
Anna Broughel, Forbes.com, 29 Oct. 2025
But many others are chasing unrealistic nuclear visions.
—W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
For many who grew up after the Cold War and without the constant fear of nuclear war, these threats may seem distant and unrealistic.
—Ernest J. Moniz, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
In January 1941, the idea of using explosives to bring together subcritical masses of uranium was rejected by the experts of the Soviet Defense Commissariat as flawed and unrealistic.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Anna Broughel, Forbes.com, 29 Oct. 2025
But many others are chasing unrealistic nuclear visions.
—W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
For many who grew up after the Cold War and without the constant fear of nuclear war, these threats may seem distant and unrealistic.
—Ernest J. Moniz, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
In January 1941, the idea of using explosives to bring together subcritical masses of uranium was rejected by the experts of the Soviet Defense Commissariat as flawed and unrealistic.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
Adjective
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So the firings of Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Ravens’ Harbaugh have injected some juice into a Giants search that previously threatened to cast as wide and arbitrary a net as last year’s ridiculous Jets process.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Olympics is a ridiculous mixture of hit-you-straight-in-the-feels origin stories and Greek god-level athletic prowess.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Importantly, the president already has full legal authority to impose tariffs when other nations’ behavior places an unreasonable burden on our economy, including through environmental negligence.—
Chip Lamarca,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
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The logic was that Spirit had projected the league would grow at a rate that the league itself found unreasonable, and so would not be able to field a team while also paying Rodman.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The combination of absurd temperatures, damp humidity, and having my hair stick to my neck daily was driving me insane.—
Kayla Greaves,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
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Plus, who doesn’t love Nick Offerman sharing the screen with absurd facial hair?—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Satire is brilliant for exposing the folly of humans, especially those in power and those working in bad faith—the hypocrites and the frauds—and can be particularly potent when set in irrational or dystopic times.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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But why are these fears irrational?—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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First, of course, is Nakache’s incredible resilience in the face of the demons of his past, which stem from the greater history of his country.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
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There were some incredible individual seasons across positions like San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey, Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cleveland DE Myles Garrett.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Critics lambasted those policies as impractical at best, reckless at worst.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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The Countach is also famously impractical and a pain to drive, so the next buyer will likely be taking on a more-than-usual stewardship role in terms of old supercars, the service not being to themselves but to the wider community, which gets to look at the Countach rather than operate it.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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To say the road to the Super Bowl goes through Jacksonville sounds silly in the NFL’s grand scheme, but for a talented and decorated Bills group that never has won there, that’s the first stop on the quest.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Citing the Monroe Doctrine is silly.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Tests in both artificial and real human saliva produced the same result, demonstrating that the single-application ELR coating could recreate enamel and withstand real-world impacts.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
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The artificial plateau made from earth, with connecting causeways, canals and corridors, was built in southeastern Mexico 3,050 years ago and used for around 300 years.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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