as in trance
the state of being lost in thought
if you're bored while traveling, daydreaming is a perfectly normal state to be in, regardless of what the road signs say
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in dreaming
Related Words
Dissimilar 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 daydreaming
Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026
These cuts enable us to spend more time daydreaming and less time in the salon.
—Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026
Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The colorful flowers are perfect for a photo-op or casual daydreaming.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Those daydreaming of taking in the sweeping sunrise vistas across Middle Harbour just got lucky because one of the most significant abodes on the street just surfaced on market for the first time in over four decades.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2025
This is a train ride for daydreaming, drawing, reading, playing cards, or any other low-tech pursuit.
—Alesandra Dubin, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Maladaptive daydreaming is a form of intense daydreaming characterized by the creation of unrealistic or fantastical situations, conversations, or stories in one’s own mind that are outside the realm of a person’s day-to-day life.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
In the album’s most beautiful moments, Triplin makes arpeggios sound like prancing through an earthly paradise and sands off juke’s rough edges to produce rhythms that seem to chug along in the margins of a daydreaming brain.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2026
These cuts enable us to spend more time daydreaming and less time in the salon.
—Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026
Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The colorful flowers are perfect for a photo-op or casual daydreaming.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Those daydreaming of taking in the sweeping sunrise vistas across Middle Harbour just got lucky because one of the most significant abodes on the street just surfaced on market for the first time in over four decades.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 27 Aug. 2025
This is a train ride for daydreaming, drawing, reading, playing cards, or any other low-tech pursuit.
—Alesandra Dubin, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Maladaptive daydreaming is a form of intense daydreaming characterized by the creation of unrealistic or fantastical situations, conversations, or stories in one’s own mind that are outside the realm of a person’s day-to-day life.
—Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daydreaming
Noun
-
In that film, unassuming victims are put into a hypnotic trance by a psychic killer to then do his murdering for him, only for that violence to become even more contagious.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Then, the repetitive descending melody is interrupted and restarts; in this musical rupture the trance is broken.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Matlin knows a little about dreaming big.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Sleep architecture maps out how a person transitions through different sleep stages, such as light sleep and dreaming (REM), as well as how sound affects someone during each of these different stages.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Below, some of the finest, high-quality ruffled bedding around the web for creating the frothy bedscape of your daydreams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Swift leaned into the soft romance of her outfit with an undone half-up hairstyle with her signature bangs brushed to the side for a dreamy effect.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The top, a scrambly Montañon Ridge, offers a dreamy open walk with awesome wide-angle views.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
As the pensive Moon wanders into your vocal 3rd house, your mind buzzes with activity.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gonzalez describes him as serious, pensive, charming and easy to like.—
Vanessa Murdock,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
All of which leads one to wonder, what is Griffin really envisioning for his final act?—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Cubs aren’t envisioning fully using Suzuki as the DH to get him back quicker.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Unabsorbed calcium leaves the body through stool, and absorbed calcium that isn't needed may be filtered by the kidneys and leave in urine—often within about a day.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The absorbed or scattered light creates a unique pattern called the spectrum, which is effectively the substance’s fingerprint.—
Ambuj Tewari,
The Conversation,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daydreaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daydreaming. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
