as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination
told by the psychologist that it was perfectly normal for their child to have an imaginary friend
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Recent Examples of imaginary
And not just because Staub celebrated by flashing an imaginary watch for the cameras.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Wobbling through space The Earth’s axis, which is an imaginary line running through the North and South Poles, is in constant motion, even though it is commonly depicted as a fixed line.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
This little love seat can be disassembled for imaginary playtime, and the covers are fully washable.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.
—Larry David, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Wobbling through space The Earth’s axis, which is an imaginary line running through the North and South Poles, is in constant motion, even though it is commonly depicted as a fixed line.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
This little love seat can be disassembled for imaginary playtime, and the covers are fully washable.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Then there was the woman who was Speaker of the House and would walk around talking to herself, screaming out epithets to imaginary people.
—Larry David, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginary
Adjective
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The mockumentary about a fictitious paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania aired from 2005 to 2013.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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The bad news about this fictitious mountainside hole-in-the-wall?—
Tim McGovern,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To respond to a volatile inflation crisis, should the CEO of Burger & Bites, a fictional fast-food chain, introduce dynamic pricing to its restaurants?—
Elie Ofek,
Harvard Business Review,
14 Sep. 2025
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College football fan favorite Fansville, a satirical episodic drama from Dr Pepper set in a fictional college town, is returning for its eighth season.—
Kristi Dosh,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Nowadays, these routes and addresses can sometimes call to my mind the Camino Real—the old Spanish road lost and buried but commuted upon daily—or that mythic expanse of the Mediterranean where Odysseus lost his way and people live and work to this day.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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For baseball aficionados, the name Sandy Koufax is almost mythical.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imaginary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginary. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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