1
as in ridiculous
not likely to occur in the real world
The movie's unrealistic dialogue kept distracting me from the story.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unrealistic
Both Southern California teams were tabbed as unrealistic.
—
Katie Woo, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Will targets be reached? Analysts and trade groups say the mandates are unrealistic because the rate that consumers are buying ZEVs is not moving at a quick enough pace to meet California’s annual requirements.
—Phillip Molnar, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
As part of the plan, Mr. Lieber is asking the federal government for $14 billion, which some fiscal experts thought was unrealistic even before the growing tensions with Washington.
—Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
More:Hegseth tells Europe a return to Ukraine's pre-Russia invasion borders is 'unrealistic'
That means that, if Ukraine became a NATO member, Russia's attacks on the country would would put the entire alliance – most of Europe – at war with Russia, potentially kickstarting a world war.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Katie Woo, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Will targets be reached? Analysts and trade groups say the mandates are unrealistic because the rate that consumers are buying ZEVs is not moving at a quick enough pace to meet California’s annual requirements.
—Phillip Molnar, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
As part of the plan, Mr. Lieber is asking the federal government for $14 billion, which some fiscal experts thought was unrealistic even before the growing tensions with Washington.
—Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
More:Hegseth tells Europe a return to Ukraine's pre-Russia invasion borders is 'unrealistic'
That means that, if Ukraine became a NATO member, Russia's attacks on the country would would put the entire alliance – most of Europe – at war with Russia, potentially kickstarting a world war.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
Adjective
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Many of the memes are ridiculous, poking fun at the Trump administration’s obvious ploy to pin the blame of any situation on DEI programs.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
20 Feb. 2025
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The 30-year-old center is averaging a rather ridiculous line of 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists on the season, while hitting almost 58% of his shots.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2025
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The price isn’t unreasonable given the amount of detail that went into designing it and the combination of functions, including the antimicrobial and cooling materials, as well as its adaptability.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Working with incredible directors like Gia (Coppola).—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The only moments that can compare to the first season’s incredible finale come at the end of Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, and possibly Rogue One.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The ban is an irrational and prejudicial attack on service members who have risked their lives to serve their country.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
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The emotional, messy, unquantifiable part of us — that’s not a dumber or more irrational part.—
Sigal Samuel,
Vox,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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To even suggest that my clients were somehow resistant to other points of view, acted secretly and/or abusively or threatened anyone’s job is patently false and frankly absurd.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2025
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That would be absurd!’ Athwart Gravy Train Wreck James Lileks In the resistance world, Musk and Trump have fused into one dark bolus of evil, a grinning fleshy blob that throbs with malevolence: Muskentrump.—
George Weigel,
National Review,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Yet these technologies mostly proved impractical for broader application.—
Raphael S. Cohen,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Feb. 2025
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Many Spanish businesses anticipate a slowdown in August and plan accordingly, whereas in the U.S., businesses remain open year-round, making extended closures impractical.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But stuck in the middle tier are 150 countries that must endure artificial limits on computing supply chains that are kept at least a generation behind US technology accessible by the top tier.—
Ashley Belanger,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
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The space station’s microbiome represents an artificial extreme.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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My long-distance boyfriend often addressed letters with silly names or in-jokes.—
A.S. King,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
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Taking the material beyond its original audience of one, the writer-director offers a delicious mélange of the surreal and the silly for all ages.—
Sheri Linden,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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