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 The reprogrammed cells were injected into a mouse embryo, resulting in a chimeric mouse with physical traits derived from both the donor embryo and the reprogrammed stem cells. Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 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 See All Example Sentences for chimerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chimerical
Adjective
  • Even with the security, though, collectors and fans are able to get up close to items that may have previously seemed mythical.
    Larry Holder, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • The electric Nebraska has become a mythical object for Springsteen fans over the years, and there’s been a lot of evidence suggesting the tapes do exist.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the film, a massive great white shark hunts people swimming in the water surrounding the fictitious Amity Island.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 13 June 2025
  • Ever since Max began streaming the drama about life in a fictitious Pittsburgh emergency room, it’s been one pinch-me moment after another for Wyle and his fellow executive producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the book, five strangers – a white American geographer, a South Sudanese translator, a northern Sudanese cook, a Sudanese-American filmmaker, and a local boy – find themselves at an NGO compound in the fictional town of Saraaya, on the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 June 2025
  • The fictional town of Havenport was filmed in Wilmington, NC, and nearby Southport, NC.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chimerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chimerical. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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