figment

noun

ˈfig-mənt How to pronounce figment (audio)
Definition of figmentnext
1
as in illusion
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

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2
as in fiction
something that is the product of the imagination thus far, the invisible human being has been nothing more than a figment of fantasy writers

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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 figment China occupies islands across the South China Sea without even a figment of legal right. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026 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 Excusing those two flickers of broken hegemony, the WSL’s highest echelon has been an unassailable strongbox, a figment of the rest of the table’s imagination. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026 According to Jean-Jacques L’Henaff, vice president of design at American Standard, the shift away from bathtubs is not a figment of our imagination. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for figment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figment
  1. illusion
  2. fiction
  3. dream
  4. fantasy
  5. daydream
  6. fabrication
  7. vision
  8. tale
Noun
  • His update on the C-cut began just below the chin, with extra lift at the roots and inward-curving lengths that narrowed toward the ends to create the illusion of a heart.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 July 2026
  • Following the fall of Poland in September 1939, and before Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940, the absence of sustained military operations created the illusion of normalcy.
    — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • Weir takes readers on an adventure through this science-fiction survival story about a junior high science teacher who wakes up aboard a spaceship with amnesia.
    — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
  • Crisis and renewal are strictly a matter of marketing now, a fiction that permanently assigns the Democrats the role of technocrats managing national decline while Republicans get to stand for muscular optimism and economic expansion.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of fiction
Noun
  • Destinations that combine crystal-clear seas, warm sand tones and unspoilt scenery consistently stand out as the places people most dream about visiting.
    — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026
  • Let’s travel path two and figure out how this career part timer doesn’t have to put the rest of their life on hold while the dream career is still TBD.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • Possibly the biggest Korean release of the summer, this dark fantasy historical thriller stars Nam Joo-hyuk as Gu-cheon, a man who can traverse the world of ghosts, alongside Roh Yoon-seo as Saeng-gang, a court lady carrying a dangerous secret.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Sometimes that player fantasy can be expressed through a simple toy that just feels good, briefly.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 June 2026
Definition of fantasy
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.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
  • 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.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
Definition of daydream
Noun
  • Engineers could compare different surface coatings and fabrication methods to identify options that produce the least electrical noise, helping improve the performance of future quantum computers and quantum sensing technologies.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
  • For Cutcher-Gershenfeld, the lesson extends far beyond fabrication laboratories.
    — C.M. Rubin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of fabrication
Noun
  • For Paules, the founder of Friends of Prefab, the technology is only a means to a social vision of affordable housing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • During his 24 years on the Board of Supervisors, Haggerty’s vision of a connected Bay Area laid the groundwork for some of the largest infrastructure projects under construction today.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
Definition of vision
Noun
  • The agonizing legal circus surrounding Sumner Redstone’s final years at Paramount/Viacom is a sobering cautionary tale.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026
  • The past few summers have seen nightmare tales from heatwaves in Europe — the continent with the fastest-rising temperatures under global warming.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of tale

Browse Nearby Words

fig leafs
figment
figments
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Cite this Entry

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

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