as in illusions
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 chimeras
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
Monika Piotrowska, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimeras
Noun
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Inside a mesmerising hall of mirrors inspired by Houdini's illusions, massages with seasonal Hungarian essential oils and rejuvenating mud wraps release any and all tension.—
Cassie Doney,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Jan. 2026
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Her sister, Kali, has the power to create illusions, so the Eleven that everyone witnessed in her final moments could have been fake, and the real Eleven could have slipped away without being detected.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In addition to having to be secretive about their work, Imagineers are responsible for balancing their creative visions with the strict budget they’re given.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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During one of her stays in jail, she was beset by visions that led her to believe herself to be God’s representative on Earth — an epiphany that did not improve her tenuous standing with the Church of England.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sadly, his college ball dreams didn’t come to fruition after the coach who called him up retired.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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But your kid with pro athlete dreams is likely not part of the 70%.—
Jonathan Carone,
Parents,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Although the film became a template for white revenge fantasies, its street thugs are assembled with almost comic care to avoid racial bias.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Anyone who’s survived to 2026 knows the upper class’ fictitious fantasies still carry real, wretched consequences for the rest of us, but Season 4 plays out those ongoing scenarios to the nth degree, while condensing them into an appreciable narrative arc.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Alas, my daydreams about adapting an essay from my collection into a limited series TV show turned out to be just that.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
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What about those perfect days and the daydreams that had sustained us?—
Michael Paterniti,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chimeras.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimeras. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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