CASTLE IN THE AIR

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does castle in the air mean? 

• CASTLE IN THE AIR (noun)
  The noun CASTLE IN THE AIR has 1 sense:

1. absentminded dreaming while awake

  Familiarity information: CASTLE IN THE AIR used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CASTLE IN THE AIR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Absentminded dreaming while awake

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

air castle; castle in Spain; castle in the air; daydream; daydreaming; oneirism; reverie; revery

Hypernyms ("castle in the air" is a kind of...):

dream; dreaming (imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake)

 Context examples 

"Wouldn't you have a master for your castle in the air?" asked Laurie slyly.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

"I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen," observed Jo mysteriously.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Poor Mr. Brooke looked as if his lovely castle in the air was tumbling about his ears, for he had never seen Meg in such a mood before, and it rather bewildered him.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Jo laughed, and Meg sharply ordered her not to talk, then amiably promised to make her hair curl, and fell asleep to dream of living in her castle in the air.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The dream of filling home with comforts, giving Beth everything she wanted, from strawberries in winter to an organ in her bedroom, going abroad herself, and always having more than enough, so that she might indulge in the luxury of charity, had been for years Jo's most cherished castle in the air.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)