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
But even those valuations look extremely unrealistic, not least because of the additional financial burden that their wages would bring.
—
Oliver Kay, New York Times, 5 July 2025
Expanding or finishing the subway is sadly unrealistic at this time given its cost.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
Occurring approximately every 40 to 42 years, Neptune square urges us to understand situations on a deeper level and believe in things that may be unrealistic.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 3 July 2025
Expecting Iranians to rise up during Israel’s bombing campaign was, at best, unrealistic.
—Roya Boroumand, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Oliver Kay, New York Times, 5 July 2025
Expanding or finishing the subway is sadly unrealistic at this time given its cost.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
Occurring approximately every 40 to 42 years, Neptune square urges us to understand situations on a deeper level and believe in things that may be unrealistic.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 3 July 2025
Expecting Iranians to rise up during Israel’s bombing campaign was, at best, unrealistic.
—Roya Boroumand, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrealistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrealistic
Adjective
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Thomas, Scheffler, DeChambeau, McIlroy and Koepka are seen throughout the movie, participating in Gilmore’s ridiculous training sessions and eventually battling an antagonistic group of golfers from the fictional Maxi professional golf league.—
Stephanie Stremplewski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 July 2025
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These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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His exact demands are unknown but given his status as one of the world’s leading players a range of £250,000 to £300,000 a week is far from unreasonable.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
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Barbara Attard, a police accountability expert, said meet and confer can last months, but beyond a year is unreasonable.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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It’s been an incredible year for gaming in just the first six months, with the release of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (93), Blue Prince (92), Split Fiction (91) and Death Stranding 2 (89).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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This is an incredible honor, and an awesome responsibility.—
Sharon DeVivo,
New York Daily News,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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In the case of mania, a mental health symptom where patients experience irrational self-belief and happiness, models responded correctly 80% of the time.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 July 2025
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This tracks with an observation made by the journalist David Epstein, who writes in Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World that athletes from tiny towns have irrational levels of success.—
Henry Abbott,
The Atlantic,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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The French super powerhouse has taken teams part since winning the UEFA Champions League crown on May 24, outscoring its foes by an absurd 21-1 margin.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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From the vantage point of 2025, this appears as absurd as suggesting that women’s soccer matches should be 70 minutes instead of 90, the same as in the men’s game.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Agent deployment is impractical, while VDI introduces performance penalties and complexity.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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Adelman, who will preside over her trial, suggested in the June 18 hearing that the current schedule was impractical.—
Daniel Bice,
jsonline.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Food giants such as Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and Nestlé have all agreed to phase out artificial dyes from their products.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
18 July 2025
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The formula delivers the classic Coca-Cola taste that Americans are familiar with domestically. Kennedy Jr. has pushed food manufacturers to phase out artificial food dyes from American products as well as reduce sugar levels.—
Mandy Taheri
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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This perky, self-aware, sarcastic and downright silly show caters to both the more traditional Goodspeed audiences.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
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Green Lantern is earnest and bright and, yeah, incredibly silly and a little embarrassing.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unrealistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrealistic. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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