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
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as in dreaming
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of daydreaming
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
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
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Somewhere around the seventh inning, the gaggle of small children in the house conspired, without adult aid or input, to turn off the lights in a bedroom, plug in a strobe light, cue up a trance song on the speaker, and begin to mosh.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Chamomile softens the flame, vanilla sweetens the smoke, and the result is all loving, never strange… a total trance.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Withdrawal from tricyclic antidepressants may also lead to nightmares, while withdrawal from SSRIs and SNRIs seems to intensify dreaming.—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
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That's when the concept of dreaming as a neurocognitive process first came about, per the APA.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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But for business and organizational leaders, this theme doesn’t need to be the stuff of daydreams.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Luna is dreamy, while Jane is matter-of-fact, even about family tragedies.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Shore Club Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Situated along Providenciales’ Long Bay Beach, The Shore Club checks all the boxes for a dreamy tropical island getaway for the whole family.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Civility ⬇ Virginia's Jay Jones sent texts fantasizing about shooting a Republican opponent, then won his race for attorney general.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Graham Johnson, a computational biologist and scientific illustrator at the Allen Institute for Cell Science, recalls fantasizing at a lunch table, more than 15 years ago, about a computer model of a cell so detailed, so complete, that scientists could watch such processes happening.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The actor sported a pensive expression while filming scenes for 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
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The post included a series of pictures of D’Angelo in the studio, as well as a snap of the two musicians in which D is giving one of his classic pensive, knowing looks and Hill is smiling as the pair lean their heads together.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Jones’ campaign came under intense fire early last month, when his 2022 texts envisioning violence against a GOP political opponent were published by National Review.—
Kevin Breuninger,Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
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And as the winner-take-all play that would decide Sunday’s game at Allegiant Stadium unfolded, Geno Smith’s eyes got big, envisioning a dramatic game-winning pass to an old, reliable friend.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Although the mercury hovered at only 5°, all of us became so absorbed in the rabbit chase that no one noticed numb toes and cold ears.—
Erwin A. Bauer,
Outdoor Life,
25 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Daydreaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daydreaming. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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