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
The timeline seemed unrealistic.
—
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Of particular concern was the possibility that the council would set unrealistic expectations for how the city could protect the public from federal agents.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
But perhaps that’s part of James’ point — that body expectations for women are so unrealistic that many, like Hana, are driven to starvation and self-loathing.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Restaurant owners disheartened, but still optimistic about future While the Mohammads broke their usual public silence on divisive issues to promote immigration organizations, Rachel noted Friday's boycott may have presented an unrealistic goal for restaurants.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Of particular concern was the possibility that the council would set unrealistic expectations for how the city could protect the public from federal agents.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
But perhaps that’s part of James’ point — that body expectations for women are so unrealistic that many, like Hana, are driven to starvation and self-loathing.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
Restaurant owners disheartened, but still optimistic about future While the Mohammads broke their usual public silence on divisive issues to promote immigration organizations, Rachel noted Friday's boycott may have presented an unrealistic goal for restaurants.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
Adjective
-
My child comes home from her other parent’s house with stories that sound absolutely ridiculous.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
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The sheer display of athleticism and creativity of a dunk with zero props or especially push-offs will always impress me more than someone who pushes off, even seeing just how ridiculous and difficult that dunk is.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
During a bumpy, contentious negotiation, hospitals complained the union’s demands were unreasonable and exorbitant.—
Philip Marcelo,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
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Imagine my surprise and delight when Billboard actually took a stand against YouTube and did not give in to their unreasonable demands!—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the past week, a slew of cinematic videos of celebrities and characters in absurd situations have gone viral online, with one commonality –– they were created using a new artificial intelligence tool from Chinese developer ByteDance, sparking anxiety over the fast-evolving capabilities of AI.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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What was turbulent and confused in me came out as absurd and ornate in him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those sorts of things are irrational to me.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
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Although atheism is often associated with hyperrationality, this form of it is unapologetically irrational.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Humans have always made incredible sacrifices for ambition.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
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There’s also some incredible concert footage to boot.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But this season, the looks that made the highest impact eschewed function for jaw-dropping, delightfully impractical looks.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
19 Feb. 2026
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Testers found the concept impractical due to clothing sleeves and the difficulty of capturing usable camera angles from the wrist.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Maybe the Pac-12 and Mountain West will look silly for not buying in, then watch as the NFC West bids against the Premier League and Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Hornets.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Since then, the fizzy dance challenge has exploded on TikTok, with tons of fans re-creating the clip’s silly dance moves in their kitchens, parking garages, living rooms, Times Square and hospital corridors.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In our tests, the Pixel 10 outperforms the Pixel 9 in artificial benchmarks.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 Feb. 2026
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The Crystal Walk promenade, stretching over about a third of a mile, or 450 meters, provides shade under artificial branches covered in 10 tons of crystals that give it its name.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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