as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
a monster in the closet would not have been the first chimera that the boy had seen in his mind's eye
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Recent Examples of chimera
Chasing this chimera occupied Coronado until the early part of 1542.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
The chimera turned out really well.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
The air defense community has pursued this chimera for decades.
—James Stavridis, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Officials shouldn’t chase the chimera of independence but instead try to build flexibility in a diversified and interconnected system.
—Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 30 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for chimera
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
The chimera turned out really well.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
The air defense community has pursued this chimera for decades.
—James Stavridis, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025
Officials shouldn’t chase the chimera of independence but instead try to build flexibility in a diversified and interconnected system.
—Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 30 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for chimera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimera
Noun
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Advertisement The difference in hurricane activity between the two oceans is actually more climatological illusion than fact.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Torches held by ancient hands would have given the tableau the illusion of movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Everyone who shows up to his office tries to make one of his dreams come true.—
Debbie Day,
EW.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This was the cleanest operation the Browns displayed since late in the 2023 season when Joe Flacco’s fever dream carried the Browns to the playoffs.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Welcome to my annual fantasy hockey dynasty rankings at The Athletic.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Lamb’s seven catches for 110 yards look good, and will appease some fantasy football owners.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Designers leaned into loose, chemise-style dresses that evoked a European countryside sensibility (cue the daydream of wandering through a field of lilacs).—
Jalil Johnson,
Refinery29,
13 Aug. 2025
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Ellen retreats to her room and daydreams of her father, who understood his headstrong daughter.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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To bring this vision to life, Everton turned to Populous, the sports and entertainment design firm whose extensive back catalogue includes the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Working with Brian Rose, who spent the last five years trying to recreate the film with charcoal drawings, physical models of the sets, and researching storyboards and screenplay drafts, Showrunner will spend next two years to get as close as possible to Welles’ vision.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For an in-depth look at AI psychosis and especially the co-creation of delusions via human-AI collaboration, see my recent analysis at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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If someone is already at risk of paranoia or delusions, AI may validate their thoughts in a way that intensifies their beliefs.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chimera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimera. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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