1
as in metaphors
an elaborate or fanciful way of expressing something
the conceit that the crowd at the outdoor rock concert was a vast sea of people waving to the beat of the music
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in illusions
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
his dream of swimming in the Olympics is nothing more than a conceit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in imagines
to form a mental picture of
after a huge meal like that, I cannot conceit eating another thing for the rest of the day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conceits
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
One of Yellow Letters’s most interesting conceits is that German cities play Turkish ones throughout.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
There’s something about those ideas that are big, silly, cinematic, surreal conceits that drew me in.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Nov. 2025
One of Weapons’ conceits is its chapter structure centering on particular characters, and sources say that Cregger actually had a chapter focused on Gladys and some of her backstory.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
All the conceits of a true-crime film are there – the lead detective interviews, shaky images from police-cams, the salacious headlines, the nauseating crime scene photos, the TV news reports, teary interviews with friends and family.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
In those earlier pictures, metaphysical conceits became visual and dramatic gambits as the filmmakers set out to colonize the vast interior worlds of, respectively, the mind and the spirit.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
One of Yellow Letters’s most interesting conceits is that German cities play Turkish ones throughout.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
There’s something about those ideas that are big, silly, cinematic, surreal conceits that drew me in.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Nov. 2025
One of Weapons’ conceits is its chapter structure centering on particular characters, and sources say that Cregger actually had a chapter focused on Gladys and some of her backstory.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
All the conceits of a true-crime film are there – the lead detective interviews, shaky images from police-cams, the salacious headlines, the nauseating crime scene photos, the TV news reports, teary interviews with friends and family.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceits
Noun
-
The production wears its metaphors lightly with a wink and a purr.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
What about forests, given my fondness for tree metaphors?—
Elena Megalos,
Longreads,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, Angine de Poitrine are more like Meshuggah or Dawn of Midi, establishing a meter and then creating rhythmic illusions using creative bursts of syncopation.—
Christopher R. Weingarten,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Their romance emerges alongside the dreamlike atmosphere of the mysterious circus, their illusions becoming a way to communicate with each other.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Weed imagines the home’s spirit as a 19th-century woman in a long dress—and not a particularly happy one.—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
2 Apr. 2026
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Given the remarkable radiation tolerance displayed by the molds discovered at Chernobyl, fungi might also provide radiation shielding — Maurer imagines growing thin layers of them inside the inflated buildings to shield the astronauts living within.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Honesty makes big visions real and doable.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
With Iran qualifying for the World Cup, Arad Ershad had visions of splurging on flights and tickets to attend one of the team’s upcoming first-round matches in Los Angeles.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the filmmaker and Film Heritage Foundation head and Mumbai Film Festival director who is the creative force behind MAMI Independent, envisions the initiative as the first link in a distribution chain that could ultimately empower filmmakers themselves.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Mendoza envisions Mauricio providing infield depth as Polanco and Baty (jammed thumb) deal with ailments.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The president is tweeting about his genocidal fantasies in Iran.—
Anne Bryson,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
If justice means anything any more, a federal judge will easily swipe through Hegseth’s nebulous legal fantasies, and preserve the possibility that someday, the Endangered Species Act might actually help save endangered species in the Gulf.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Despite the traumatic experience, Leah dreams of getting a snorkeling license, and her mom remains nervous but supportive.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Ezra, the 4-year-old Colton boy who dreams to one day be a police officer.—
Lesley Marin,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
-
More than masturbatory daydreams, Vladimir inspires our heroine to write with abandon, ignoring professional and personal obligations in service to her muse.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conceits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceits. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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