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
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 conceits
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
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 novella is a haunted house, dual point of view ride where the metaphors from the top down are consistently delivered.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The writer son makes metaphors out of the garden—indeed, out of the very idea of the garden-as-metaphor—while the father, who told great stories but was entirely unliterary, made a garden out of the earth.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Sturm, who has had no illusions about what his team can and can’t do, is pleased with the way his players are starting to take to his hybrid zone/man system.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Bit by bit, Guiteau’s illusions are diminished by events like an angry mob gathering outside the prison, a disappointing reaction from his sister, and a confrontation with Lucretia after Garfield’s death.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Cortese plays a Greek diner owner who is living with dementia and imagines himself as a late-night talk show host.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The young blood’s plan is to kill the Kalis, an apex predator said to be unkillable, and bring its head home to dad, who Dek imagines will finally accept him as his son with the right trophy kill.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Many immigrant novels contain similar scenes, in which hapless characters embrace improbable visions of America, only to be chastened upon arrival.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Microsoft President Brad Smith speaks at a press conference at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia about future visions for the development and application of artificial intelligence in education in NRW in Berlin on June 4, 2025.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Owens envisions a Charlotte composed of 10-minute cities and livable communities that support work, recreation and housing without lengthy commutes.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Announced this week, the project envisions compact networks of satellites equipped with Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), interconnected through optical links, and powered by nearly continuous sunlight.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Luke, however, didn’t mind sharing his sometimes pie-in-the-sky fantasies and hopes with others.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Chartering a speedboat, we were whisked into the bay, a spellbinding expanse of calm, amniotic water dotted with more than 50 tiny islands and pristine beaches that called to mind castaway fantasies.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The new movie will follow the story of a 12-year-old boy who dreams of being a professional basketball player, producers said.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Miami will need to avoid repeating history to keep its College Football Playoff dreams alive.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But Ma has been deftly drawn as a canny realist and problem solver—not the kind of person to indulge in daydreams.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But for business and organizational leaders, this theme doesn’t need to be the stuff of daydreams.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conceits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceits. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share