chimera

noun

kī-ˈmir-ə How to pronounce chimera (audio)
Definition of chimeranext
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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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 chimera Rather than a somewhat normal for Hollywood bakeoff, Paramount plans to kind of smush the two scripts together into one IP chimera. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026 Look behind that curtain and see that the great and powerful Oz is a chimera. — Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026 The Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal advocacy organization, argued that if such chimeras gained humanlike awareness, they should be treated as human research subjects. — Monika Piotrowska, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025 The chimera of a two-state solution still has widespread backing within Washington’s traditional foreign policy establishment. — Ray Takeyh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chimera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimera
  1. illusion
  2. dream
  3. fantasy
  4. daydream
  5. vision
Noun
  • Christy orchestrates the elaborate stagecraft that sells the illusion of a bustling organization.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • When the team built a setup to directly quantify real-time heat flux alongside electrical output, the theoretical illusions collapsed.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • The hoarder’s house functions as the deferred dream, the repository of all frustration.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Each contestant must pitch, prototype and perfect their dream dish with their creations then stress-tested for taste, kitchen feasibility, and trialled with real customers, to win a place on the menu.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • That’s all before setting aside the time to manage a fantasy football roster, oversee a gambling hobby, or make sure you’re fully briefed for the next all-hands—sorry, hangout—at the bar.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Cinema employees help with laundry, cleaning, maintenance, and guests’ needs — meaning the staff behind the L’Amour fantasy have a whole property to look after on top of everything else.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of fantasy
Noun
  • Walking through prewar Berlin, taking in its historic architecture, Susanna daydreams of her native New York, an ever-changing city where buildings are torn down and rebuilt in the blink of an eye.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • It's inspired by Snoopy's daydream of being the coolest beagle on campus.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of daydream
Noun
  • Today, there are teams worldwide bringing that vision to life, including the strong partnerships Ford established with its long-standing licensees Zegna and Marcolin, for fashion and eyewear, respectively.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • After trying to sell businesses on a new Copilot last month, Nadella took a similar approach for his vision of agents and hybrid intelligence for Windows.
    — Tom Warren, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of vision

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chimera
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Cite this Entry

“Chimera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimera. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on chimera

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chimera

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