1
as in graphical
consisting of or relating to pictures
after a desensitizing series of imaginal exposures to the feared object, the phobic person is then exposed to the actual object
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in mythic
not real and existing only in the imagination
the equator is merely an imaginal line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imaginal
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
Mercury entering into Pisces turns up the imaginal juice.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Then, from bundles of cells known as imaginal disks, a new body takes form.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Mercury entering into Pisces turns up the imaginal juice.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Then, from bundles of cells known as imaginal disks, a new body takes form.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginal
Adjective
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An anecdote illustrates this trend: a freelance graphic designer once lost hours to a phishing link masquerading as a payment request.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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Deaths – priest Bernat’s murder opening Season 2, for instance – can be graphic.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Some will retreat from public life, spurning those closest to them in favor of an imaginary narrative woven with these programs.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
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Since its inception, astronomers had busied themselves tracking the apparent movements of the stars, moon and planets relative to an imaginary line running north to south through the observatory, known as a 'meridian'.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Entries are welcome across a broad spectrum of formats, including but not limited to visual storytelling, experimental or documentary film, live or recorded performance, poetry, sound and music, fashion innovation, digital tools, choreography, multimedia, and social media campaigns.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
21 June 2025
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Ember, a clean-energy think tank, put together this great visual interactive showing how this happens.—
Umair Irfan,
Wired News,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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The exhibition path follows a typological order, bringing together more than 600 photographic works by 25 artists that recount over a century of German photography.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
20 June 2025
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The university itself doesn’t have a lot of photographic evidence of this man.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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In interviews, Burnett’s recollections are more pictorial than psychological.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
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Image Sherald’s vertical portraits, by contrast, retain their pictorial charisma despite a certain repetitiveness.—
Deborah Solomon,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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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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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
Cite this Entry
“Imaginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginal. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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