pipedream
Castle in air
A pipe dream is a hope or plan that is wildly unrealistic or fantastical—the kind of wishful thinking unlikely to survive contact with reality.
The term comes from the vivid hallucinations of opium smokers: Retiring at forty was a pipe dream on his salary.
Also spelled pipedream.
Impossible to acquire
- unrealisticLacking basis in reality
- impracticalNot suited for use
- infeasibleNot capable of achievement
- unachievableCannot be accomplished
impossibility · quixotic · moonshot · reach · overambitious · pie-in-the-sky · far-fetched · hopeless
Atmospheric optical deception
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- figmentImagined thing, unreal
- hallucinationPerception without external cause
phantasm · will-o'-the-wisp · apparition · specter · vaporware · bubble · self-deception
Conscious fantasy while awake
- reverieAbstracted, pleasant daydream
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- dreamworldImaginary realm during slumber
whimsy · fairy-tale · phantasy · fable · enchantment · imagining · romanticism · idealization
Ability to see
- ambitionDesire for achievement
- hopeDesire for good outcomes
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
- longingIntense, persistent desire
desire · goal · idealism · utopia · visionary · optimism · prospect · wishing
Failure to satisfy expectations
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- unfulfilledNot brought to completion
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
setback · failure · defeat · collapse · crushed · comedown · anticlimax · sobering
unattainable
Impossible to acquire
- unrealisticLacking basis in reality
- impracticalNot suited for use
- infeasibleNot capable of achievement
unachievable · impossibility · quixotic · moonshot · reach · overambitious · pie-in-the-sky · far-fetched · hopeless · doomed
mirage
Atmospheric optical deception
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- figmentImagined thing, unreal
hallucination · phantasm · will-o'-the-wisp · apparition · specter · vaporware · bubble · self-deception
daydream
Conscious fantasy while awake
- reverieAbstracted, pleasant daydream
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
dreamworld · whimsy · fairy-tale · phantasy · fable · enchantment · imagining · romanticism · idealization · wool-gathering
vision
Ability to see
longing · desire · goal · idealism · utopia · visionary · optimism · prospect · wishing · aspiration
letdown
Failure to satisfy expectations
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- unfulfilledNot brought to completion
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
frustration · setback · failure · defeat · collapse · crushed · comedown · anticlimax · sobering