variants also chimeric

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 reprogrammed cells were injected into a mouse embryo, resulting in a chimeric mouse with physical traits derived from both the donor embryo and the reprogrammed stem cells. Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 This year, Carol Kane — the chimeric renaissance woman, eternal ingenue, muse to visionaries from Sidney Lumet to Cindy Sherman — rose from the rubble, a mirage made real, in Nathan Silver's exquisite Between the Temples. Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024 If extensive violations of a federal law made that law go away, the rules would be chimerical. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 Summary Allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells hold great promise for expanding the accessibility of CAR-T therapy, whereas the risks of allograft rejection have hampered its application. Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
Adjective
  • Even with the security, though, collectors and fans are able to get up close to items that may have previously seemed mythical.
    Larry Holder, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • The electric Nebraska has become a mythical object for Springsteen fans over the years, and there’s been a lot of evidence suggesting the tapes do exist.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • Although it was portrayed as the fictitious Amity island in the film, many of the location sites are still favorite destinations with travelers — less so for the traffic and tourist-averse year-round islanders.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 27 June 2025
  • Instead, the two lawyers achieved notoriety in 2023 when the judge in the case fined the pair $5,000 for citing six fictitious cases, invented by artificial intelligence software, in a brief to the court.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • In experiments set up to leave AI models few options and stress-test alignment, top systems from OpenAI, Google, and others frequently resorted to blackmail—and in an extreme case, even allowed fictional deaths—to protect their interests.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 June 2025
  • The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that, under the multiyear deal, IMG Licensing will develop and manage a robust licensing program spanning Maas’s entire fictional universe with the aim of creating new touchpoints for her fervid fan base.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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