Unrealistic

How to spell unrealistic

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unrealistic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unrealistic mean?

1. adjectiveNot based on what is actually likely or possible; out of touch with reality.

Unrealistic in a sentence

• The project deadline was completely unrealistic given the small team.

• Setting an unrealistic savings target only leads to disappointment.

Where does unrealistic come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is a layered build-up on the Latin res, meaning 'thing' or 'matter'. From res came the medieval Latin realis, 'relating to actual things', which English borrowed through Old French in the late Middle Ages as 'real'. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries thinkers added the suffix -ist to form 'realist', a person who deals with things as they actually are, and then -ic to make the adjective 'realistic', describing something true to life or sensibly grounded. The negative prefix un-, a native English element meaning 'not', was finally fastened to the front to give 'unrealistic', describing expectations or plans that ignore how things really are. The spelling trap is the quiet middle: the -alis- stretch hides an unstressed vowel, and learners must remember the full chain real + ist + ic rather than dropping a letter.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• real (actual, genuine)
• -ist (one who holds a view)
• -ic (adjective)