variants
also chimeric
as in fantastical
not real and existing only in the imagination
for the time being, interplanetary travel remains a chimerical feature of life in the 21st century
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chimerical
This year, Carol Kane — the chimeric renaissance woman, eternal ingenue, muse to visionaries from Sidney Lumet to Cindy Sherman — rose from the rubble, a mirage made real, in Nathan Silver's exquisite Between the Temples.
—
Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
If extensive violations of a federal law made that law go away, the rules would be chimerical.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Summary Allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells hold great promise for expanding the accessibility of CAR-T therapy, whereas the risks of allograft rejection have hampered its application.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2024
Veering between surreal interior monologue, scholarly criticism, and elliptical verse, Garza’s chimerical and metatextual whodunnit unsettlingly posits that no one—not the writer, and perhaps not even, or especially not, the reader—is truly innocent.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
If extensive violations of a federal law made that law go away, the rules would be chimerical.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Summary Allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells hold great promise for expanding the accessibility of CAR-T therapy, whereas the risks of allograft rejection have hampered its application.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2024
Veering between surreal interior monologue, scholarly criticism, and elliptical verse, Garza’s chimerical and metatextual whodunnit unsettlingly posits that no one—not the writer, and perhaps not even, or especially not, the reader—is truly innocent.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
Adjective
-
And as one dad recently shared on Reddit, the days of explaining things with talk of storks or other mythical tales are likely over.—
Christian Dashiell,
Parents,
7 June 2025
-
Acceptance means acknowledging that zero-failure AI systems are mythical.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
That’s the assessment in Ari Aster’s Eddington, which views that collective national trauma through the microcosm of a fictitious New Mexico small town.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
-
The trials and tribulations of the fictitious protagonist, however, have precedents.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The film takes place in 2020 — yes, that 2020 — in the most visceral way, with the anti-mask local sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) of the fictional Eddington, New Mexico, facing off against the town’s COVID-guideline-advocate mayor, played by Pedro Pascal (the second of his three summer releases).—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
-
Standing in for the Duke of Hastings’ fictional Clyvedon Castle in season one, this real-life Baroque masterpiece is located in North Yorkshire, England, and has been in the Howard family for more than three centuries.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share