1
as in illusions
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
unable to find any tracks in the snow the next morning, I was forced to conclude that the shadowy figure had been a figment of my imagination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fictions
something that is the product of the imagination
thus far, the invisible human being has been nothing more than a figment of fantasy writers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 figments
That description is essentially true; as a puppet designer and puppeteer, his job entails figuring out how to materialize figments of the imagination.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Boone is relentlessly hounded by figments of his guilty memory, by other ghosts, and by his daughter—all of whom emphasize his nefarious role in delaying action to combat climate change.
—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
On the live stream, Nacua questioned whether head injuries are real or just figments of the imagination.
—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Are the protagonist’s past lives real, or just figments of his psychosis?
—
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Boone is relentlessly hounded by figments of his guilty memory, by other ghosts, and by his daughter—all of whom emphasize his nefarious role in delaying action to combat climate change.
—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
On the live stream, Nacua questioned whether head injuries are real or just figments of the imagination.
—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Are the protagonist’s past lives real, or just figments of his psychosis?
—
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figments
Noun
-
Presented Out of Competition at the 1967 edition of Venice, Deadly Sweet takes it cue from a brief encounter between a disenchanted man and a girl with no illusions in the wake of the murder of a nightclub owner in London.
-
Perhaps because of this aesthetic of illusions, the earnest state pride evident in some of the pavilions turns out to feel especially delightful.
Noun
-
Invasion fictions tended to spring up in response to each new form of invasion panic.
-
The program also happens to be in line with one of the president’s convenient rhetorical fictions.
Noun
-
As the nation turns 250 years old, USA TODAY decided to create a time capsule, not of items but of dreams Americans hold for the country’s future.
-
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.
Noun
-
For this dourest of doubters, Musk’s claims for the feats ahead can only happen in the SpaceX founder’s head, or in the sci-fi fantasies Eisman grew up on.
-
Circe and Calypso, for instance, are fantasies of pleasure and captivity, projections of men’s fear of losing control; Odysseus’ abandonment of them is part of his return to command.
Noun
-
The man cannot help himself, visions be damned.
-
The future north campus remains a contest of differing visions.
Noun
-
Daily tales of war and violence around the world made one want to clench one’s fists, grit one’s teeth, and to shout out in a paean of outraged hysteria.
-
Hopefully, these three will be among the final cautionary tales of poor draft decisions.
Noun
-
And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.
-
One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.
Noun
-
Crane offered a similar read, describing the collection as both new and familiar — the kind of pieces that could believably have been thrifted from a Venice Beach shop, even as fabrications like Terry and slub cotton give them a softer, more contemporary hand.
-
While some were obvious fabrications, meant to aggrandize the narrator by his association with Tsietsi, most seemed true.
Cite this Entry
“Figments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figments. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
