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
For years, state Democratic leaders and lawmakers have pushed unrealistic green energy policies and expanded environmental restrictions.
—
Jason Buckel, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2026
His subjects, in their 20s or early 30s, came out of college with heavy debts and unrealistic expectations.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
While society’s unrealistic expectations for women and the impossible physical standards we are held up against are often discussed and critiqued, the similar pressures men face aren’t as widely talked about in culture.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Having a private getaway sounds nice, but might seem unrealistic.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Jason Buckel, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2026
His subjects, in their 20s or early 30s, came out of college with heavy debts and unrealistic expectations.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
While society’s unrealistic expectations for women and the impossible physical standards we are held up against are often discussed and critiqued, the similar pressures men face aren’t as widely talked about in culture.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Having a private getaway sounds nice, but might seem unrealistic.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
Adjective
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The meme may have been ridiculous, but Edward Hospital’s original goal — showing the public what robotic surgery could do — reached an audience far larger than a hospital marketing department could have planned for.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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Villa’s ridiculous finishing hot streak ended abruptly, but their underlying numbers had also regressed during that time.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As in Williams’ case, attorneys argued that a sweep had violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights protecting them from unreasonable search and seizure, as well as their 14th Amendment right to due process.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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Because that is ultimately what The Secret Garden is about—the stubborn, almost unreasonable insistence of living things to grow toward the light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Which is an absurd list of options for a kid who barely played high school ball.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
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The question of whether California should abolish property taxes almost seems absurd.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Though the process of how it is utilized can be debated, having emergency stocks of a vital resource subject to supply crises can hardly be called irrational.—
Scott L. Montgomery,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
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My greatest irrational fear was that the machine might squeeze far tighter than necessary and I’d just be stuck there in immense pain until someone unplugged the cord.—
Zachary Bernstein,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Go up against incredible competition and the expectations and some change, right?—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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We were robbed of an incredible human.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The creator notes the concept suits cabins, RVs, and off-grid structures particularly well — anywhere grid ties are impractical or expensive.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
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Stylists also caution against looks that feel overly themed or impractical.—
Katie Ann Lehman,
StyleCaster,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And the hour-long results that premiere on the platform Friday are a mix of the cerebral and silly that audiences have come to expect from the Problemista filmmaker and former Saturday Night Live writer.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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Now, though, to look only at coaches with UNC already on their resume would be silly.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And Hammond is roughly the same distance from downtown Chicago as Arlington Heights; whichever direction the team moves, leaving windswept Soldier Field for the artificial environment of a dome means abandoning some of the proud misery that defines Bears football.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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An important aspect is the achievement of physiological pressure levels since the artificial placenta has to present a low resistance, a few tens of mmHg, similar to the natural placenta (typically below 70 mmHg·min·L^–1).—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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