chimerical

adjective

kī-ˈmer-i-kəl How to pronounce chimerical (audio)
variants also chimeric
Definition of chimericalnext
as in imaginary
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

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective chimerical contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of chimerical are fanciful, fantastic, imaginary, quixotic, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

In what contexts can fanciful take the place of chimerical?

The synonyms fanciful and chimerical are sometimes interchangeable, but fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

When is it sensible to use fantastic instead of chimerical?

The words fantastic and chimerical can be used in similar contexts, but fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When can imaginary be used instead of chimerical?

The words imaginary and chimerical are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

Where would quixotic be a reasonable alternative to chimerical?

While the synonyms quixotic and chimerical are close in meaning, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

When might visionary be a better fit than chimerical?

While in some cases nearly identical to chimerical, visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

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 Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 Meanwhile, Kilgore, his dream of fame approaching, also sees its chimerical agonies. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025 This trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute, uses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that are injected directly into the dog's lymph nodes. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025 The reprogrammed cells were injected into a mouse embryo, resulting in a chimeric mouse with physical traits derived from both the donor embryo and the reprogrammed stem cells. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
  1. imaginary
  2. fictitious
  3. mythical
  4. fictional
  5. imagined
  6. imaginal
Adjective
  • Finally, the researchers did another version of the original test but used imaginary grapes instead of juice, with similar results.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Unfortunately, the new love in your life may be imaginary and only after your bank account.
    — C. A. Bridges, Florida Times-Union, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • Comulate also invented a fictitious insurance agent named Jordan Bates, who purported to work for PBC and who interacted with Applied Systems salespeople through email (with a Phoenix Benefits email domain) to create a customer account on Applied’s Epic.
    — John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • The series follows a teenage boy who forms an unlikely alliance with the Fairy Queen of Celtic lore to search for malevolent mythical creatures from around the world, among them the Yeti, Baba Yaga and a Lady Dracula — not to destroy them, but to save them from impending doom.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Jones portrays the fierce warrior Prince Vlad of Wallachia, who goes on to become the mythical Dracula.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • The difference between documentary approaches and fictional approaches to a musical figure — at heart, there’s no difference at all.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • But in a first for Marvel, Abdul-Mateen II was not there as himself, but rather in character as Simon Williams to discuss the fictional Wonder Man movie that is central to season one of the Disney+ show.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • The experiments together suggest that Kanzi was able to distinguish an imagined scenario from the present reality and keep both in mind.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
  • So, the transactional world is constantly pushing us out of the present and redirecting us to an imagined future.
    — Bill Burnett, Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of imagined
Adjective
  • Peter [Merry] likes to use is that, when a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly, new ‘imaginal cells’ emerge.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
  • With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
    — Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Definition of imaginal

Browse Nearby Words

chimeras
chimerical
chimes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?
See More

Popular

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All