Synonyms of chimerical

chimerical

adjective

kī-ˈmer-i-kəl 

variants also chimeric

as in imaginary

not real and existing only in the imagination

for the time being, interplanetary travel remains a chimerical feature of life in the 21st century

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imaginary
• fictitious
• mythical
• fictional
• imagined
• fantasied
• imaginal
• fanciful
• ideal
• phantom
• phantasmal
• unreal
• invented
• make-believe
• phantasmic
• notional
• theoretical
• visionary
• fantastic
• made-up
• pretend
• romantic
• hypothetical
• fabulous
• legendary
• unlikely
• abstract
• fabled
• illusory
• delusive
• unconvincing
• envisioned
• deceptive
• hallucinatory
• phantasmagoric
• unbelievable
• conceived
• visualized
• fictive
• envisaged
• delusional
• nonexistent
• concocted
• pictured
• feigned
• fabricated
• daydreamlike
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• actual
• true
• existing
• genuine
• existent
• authentic
• realistic
• factual
• convincing
• verifiable
• physical
• substantial
• solid
• believable
• corporeal
• tangible
• material
• palpable
• verified

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

Recent Examples of chimerical

Our ability to ignore, repress, and deny is matched only by our ability to believe the unbelievable and to give chimeric notions the power to found religions, nations, and institutions. —Robert Pogue Harrison, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026

There’s also ongoing progress in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and other immunotherapies for cancer, as well as in personalized cancer vaccines. —The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

The fantasy of endless space is what matters, a great chimeric promise, this production understands, that both sustains the nation and goes unfulfilled. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

Advertisement But this victory proved chimerical. —Time, 12 Sep. 2025