How do you say “A pipe dream” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is un projet chimérique, which literally means “an imaginary, unrealistic project”. English speakers use a pipe dream to mean a hope or plan that is very unlikely to come true. Fits an unrealistic plan, but sounds more formal than the everyday English phrase. Register: formal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
un projet chimérique
/œ̃ pʁɔʒɛ ʃimeʁik/
- Literal meaning
- “an imaginary, unrealistic project”
- Register
- formal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Chimérique” describes something imagined but unlikely to become real. It suits a written discussion of an ambitious project.
In conversation, “un rêve impossible” is easier to understand. That wording stresses the dream rather than the practical plan.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
With our tiny budget, opening a cinema seemed like a pipe dream.
French
Avec notre tout petit budget, ouvrir un cinéma semblait être un projet chimérique.
English
They called her idea a pipe dream, but she made it happen.
French
Ils ont qualifié son idée de projet chimérique, mais elle l'a réalisée.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04