variants also chimeric
Definition of chimericalnext

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 The German physician-scientist could produce the cells — chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs — at his institution, which was half the battle. Isabella Cueto, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026 The album’s more frenetic tracks lean further toward the uncanny, developing chimeric grooves that brim with unresolved tension. Maxie Younger, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026 Our ability to ignore, repress, and deny is matched only by our ability to believe the unbelievable and to give chimeric notions the power to found religions, nations, and institutions. Robert Pogue Harrison, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 Walker deconstructed it, making horse and rider into a single terrifyingly chimerical creature. Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
Adjective
  • Hop aboard an imaginary Vespa, or perhaps a high-speed train eastward to the boot country, where not every meal comes blistering out of a brick oven or ladled from a bubbling pot.
    Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2026
  • Some rehearse using a bedpan — placing it in the right spot, cleaning out the imaginary contents.
    Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • The book traces the fictitious Yeoman family’s evolution over generations from self-sufficient homesteaders to participants in global markets.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 June 2026
  • Hosting its usual presentation at its headquarters, located a stone’s throw from San Babila square, the brand installed video walls that broadcast a fictitious runway show created with the help of AI.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 June 2026
Adjective
  • But a wiser course might be to emphasize a kind of counter-nostalgia, reclaiming a mythic past for the forces of tolerance and democratic generosity.
    Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Together, the band brings to life a mythic world of ancient heroes and villains, attracting an excited audience of headbangers and fantasy fanatics, many of whom show up in costume.
    Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
Adjective
  • Aside from the fictional King Kong, who first appeared in a 1933 film atop the skyscraper, others in real life legally — and illegally — climbed the famous skyscraper.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • In honor of The Bear’s final season, Jono Pandolfi’s signature white and toasted clay dinnerware (featured in the fictional restaurant) is 15% off.
    Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • Wealth and social rank, once near the top of any imagined list, have slipped quietly down the rankings.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
  • The images and physics of the imagined world around them is added in later.
    Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 June 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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