IMAGINARY Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'imaginary' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of imaginary are chimerical , fanciful , fantastic , quixotic , and visionary . While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination. // an imaginary desert isle

Q: How does the word 'chimerical' relate to other synonyms for 'imaginary'?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic . // chimerical dreams of future progress

Q: In what contexts can 'fanciful' take the place of 'imaginary'?

In some situations, the words fanciful and imaginary are roughly equivalent. However, fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination. // a teller of fanciful stories

Q: When is it sensible to use 'fantastic' instead of 'imaginary'?

The words fantastic and imaginary can be used in similar contexts, but fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief. // a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

Q: When could 'quixotic' be used to replace 'imaginary'?

Although the words quixotic and imaginary have much in common, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense. // a quixotic crusade

Q: When is 'visionary' a more appropriate choice than 'imaginary'?

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

imaginary

adjective

i-ˈma-jə-ˌner-ē

Definition of imaginary

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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How does the adjective imaginary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of imaginary are chimerical, fanciful, fantastic, quixotic, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

How does the word chimerical relate to other synonyms for imaginary?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

In what contexts can fanciful take the place of imaginary?

In some situations, the words fanciful and imaginary are roughly equivalent. However, fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

When is it sensible to use fantastic instead of imaginary?

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

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When could quixotic be used to replace imaginary?

Although the words quixotic and imaginary have much in common, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

When is visionary a more appropriate choice than imaginary?

While in some cases nearly identical to imaginary, 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 imaginary The genre gave him considerably more freedom to invent architectural settings, mixing classical ruins, waterways, and figures into elaborate imaginary landscapes. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The poems follow a character named Henry who shares a biographical likeness to the author, though Berryman states Henry is an imaginary character. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2026 And the spirit of creating a real situation under these imaginary circumstances. — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026 This comes after the league rescinded fines levied against 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson for pretending to chug an imaginary drink. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for imaginary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginary

Adjective

This Lincolnian view of the war—that the United States was perpetual and that the Confederate States of America was a fictitious, farcical nation—has led to various historical interpretations ever since, among historians and laypeople alike.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictitious

Adjective

The novel was also partly epistolary, including segments of fictional court transcripts and news coverage created by King (who enjoyed mimicking different writing styles).

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
The film—based on the 2014 play Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith—sets a fictional scene in the final chapter of Highsmith’s life.

— Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictional

Adjective

Basquiat himself was the star of Downtown 81, playing a mythic version of himself.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
In their utopian reconstruction of a mythic past, the Agrarians’ polemics failed to mention the South’s legacies of slavery and rebellion.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mythical

Adjective

The second scenario in the speculative design research is built around an imagined service called Paren’t, which proposes to preserve a parent’s AI-powered postmortem presence for their child.

— Lissa Soep, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026
Drawn to the tactile and familiar qualities of paper, Teo uses playful forms and visual metaphors to transform everyday subjects and construct whimsical, imagined worlds.

— New York Times Games, New York Times, 4 Oct. 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

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imaginal

imaginary

imagination

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“Imaginary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginary. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of imaginary

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Adjectives that Look Like Nouns

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