variants also chimeric

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

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 chimerical This year, Carol Kane — the chimeric renaissance woman, eternal ingenue, muse to visionaries from Sidney Lumet to Cindy Sherman — rose from the rubble, a mirage made real, in Nathan Silver's exquisite Between the Temples. Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024 If extensive violations of a federal law made that law go away, the rules would be chimerical. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 Summary Allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells hold great promise for expanding the accessibility of CAR-T therapy, whereas the risks of allograft rejection have hampered its application. Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2024 Veering between surreal interior monologue, scholarly criticism, and elliptical verse, Garza’s chimerical and metatextual whodunnit unsettlingly posits that no one—not the writer, and perhaps not even, or especially not, the reader—is truly innocent. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
Adjective
  • The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico’s civilizations.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
  • Helios, the Greek god of the sun, and Luna, the mythical goddess of the moon, stand guard at either end of Celestial Park.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • The two stars of the Emmy-winning 1990s romantic comedy series Northern Exposure, set in the zany fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, are adding their names to the avalanche of television stars binging their old shows, offering commentary about the storylines and sharing behind-the-scenes tales.
    Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 6 May 2025
  • Later on, Weekend Update featured a trio of guest appearances from Bowen Yang who resurrected his recurring Chinese trade minister Chen Biao, Emil Wakim and his notes on American patriotism and Sarah Sherman as Jost’s fictitious accountant Dawn Altman.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ready to swap the real-world drama for a fictional web of secrets and lies?
    Andrea Bartz, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • The kind now best distilled into a fictional massacre in a galaxy far, far away.
    Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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