UNREALISTIC Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

unrealistic

adjective

Definition of unrealistic

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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Dissimilar Words

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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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unrealistic The Dotcom Bubble burst was because of a multitude of reasons, mostly unrealistic valuations for many tech businesses earning zero profits. — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026 An idea that seems slightly unrealistic might actually be worth entertaining today, Aquarius. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026 Scot’s self-confidence in genderqueer expression seems unrealistic for his age and for the times, and yuppie Sam is too perfect. — Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026 Vagmaxxing seems the logical offshoot of a trend that prizes unreasonable, unrealistic body modification to the point of impossible AI perfection and transhumanism—scary enough! — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unrealistic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic

Adjective

Part of me feels a little bad about making people like Probyn, who are insanely talented, do such ridiculous things, but that’s sort of the gig.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026
In fact, even before the show actually starts, Bob can be exhausted, having been awake since some ridiculous hour.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of ridiculous

Adjective

Chad Marlow, a policy attorney with the ACLU, argues that citizens remain at risk for unreasonable surveillance under Missouri’s new guidelines.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
The factors most closely tied to burnout included unfair treatment, crushing workloads, unclear expectations, poor communication and support from managers, and unreasonable deadlines.

— Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of unreasonable

Adjective

Alongside Kardashian, Watts, Nash-Betts and Paulson, the series stars Teyana Taylor, Matthew Noszka and Glenn Close, who all one-up each other with deliriously absurd lines of dialogue.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
The title comes from a phrase that became part of his creative vocabulary and began appearing in sketches whenever an absurd situation called for a perfectly incredulous response.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of absurd

Adjective

The industrial revolutions of the past produced enormous value alongside bankruptcies, dislocations, and periods of irrational exuberance.

— Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
If anyone can reconstruct Apéry’s reasoning, the odd values of zeta may finally be proven irrational.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of irrational

Adjective

It’s crafted by these incredible artists and craftsmen who build the world with their own hands.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
Ditka died Friday at age 86, and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh both recalled incredible stories about the Chicago Bears legend.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of incredible

Adjective

Their potential applications include modeling advanced materials and chemical reactions, optimizing complex logistics networks and addressing some computational problems that are impractical for today’s systems.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Spreadsheets cannot teach these dynamics, and real-world training may be dangerous, impractical or impossible.

— Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of impractical

Adjective

With so many of its procedural plots echoing and sometimes directly referencing real-world events, Cupertino is more substantive and less inherently silly than Elsbeth.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Almost sounds silly now, with the way the team has stumbled and bumbled its way through the first four games.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of silly

Adjective

But deeper into the community is the Louisiana Leadership Institute, a sprawling complex that includes a full-scale gymnasium, classrooms, a fine arts center, a football field and a stadium with artificial turf.

— Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
The explosion caused an artificial radiation belt that destroyed several satellites and partially knocked out street lights and phone lines in Hawaii.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of artificial

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“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unrealistic

adjective

Example Sentences

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