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unrealistic

adjective

Definition of unrealisticnext
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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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 Esther’s sudden fortune and failure — which arrives via mail in two envelopes on the same day — is unrealistic, and her story isn’t resolved in a satisfactory way at the end. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026 The special effects are jerkily unrealistic, resembling the graphics in The Sims. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 The number uses an unrealistic 2001 baseline that projected endless surpluses, as if the late-1990s revenue windfall would last forever. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026 Finding a single biomarker that reflects multiple processes at the same time is unrealistic. — Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
  1. ridiculous
  2. unreasonable
  3. absurd
  4. irrational
  5. incredible
  6. impractical
  7. silly
  8. artificial
Adjective
  • The diabolical is ambiguous and often frankly sexy; the ridiculous is not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Just by changing his gait to something ridiculous, Cleese gives his audience a moment of release from the entire world of work.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ridiculous
Adjective
  • The imposition of the tariffs stemmed from a breakdown in negotiations between the two countries in August, with each claiming the other side had unreasonable requests that would be detrimental to their respective country’s workers.
    — Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Drop one task that doesn’t need to happen today, and ask for clarification if a deadline feels unreasonable.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • The English dialogue for these films was often absurd and barely coherent, written to conform to the movements of the actors’ mouths.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Correa’s contract contains a full no-trade clause, though any thought of the Astros moving him seems absurd.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • Our simple equation, for example, has the solutions and , which are irrational; their digits begin and keep going forever without repeating.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
  • So the strongest performers tend to resist hardest, and their response is not irrational.
    — Pankaj Prasoon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • But Crow-Armstrong, through an incredible early-season approach adjustment combined with tweaks to his stance and hand placement, keeps putting on a show with his power production.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • With stunning use of practical effects and an incredible lead performance, this is one of the best horror films of the 2020s.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • The denominator includes greater speed, capacity and outputs that were once impractical.
    — Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The shoes, which consist of little more than a leather heel cap laced around the foot, feel almost deliberately impractical.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of impractical
Adjective
  • That being said, the Ravens offense made the Colts look silly.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Barisone’s proposition was that everything that followed—months of living and working together, silly texts—was done in the shadow of that threat.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • Several artificial-intelligence stocks meanwhile held steadier following their worldwide slide the day before, after leaders of the AI industry called for a slowdown in development to address safety issues for humanity.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Conrad and Gordon performed eight different science experiments, but perhaps one of their most striking feats was the artificial gravity demonstration.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of artificial

Browse Nearby Words

unreal
unrealistic
unrealities
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Cite this Entry

“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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