1
as in illusions
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
unable to find any tracks in the snow the next morning, I was forced to conclude that the shadowy figure had been a figment of my imagination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fictions
something that is the product of the imagination
thus far, the invisible human being has been nothing more than a figment of fantasy writers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of figments
Boone is relentlessly hounded by figments of his guilty memory, by other ghosts, and by his daughter—all of whom emphasize his nefarious role in delaying action to combat climate change.
—
Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
On the live stream, Nacua questioned whether head injuries are real or just figments of the imagination.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Are the protagonist’s past lives real, or just figments of his psychosis?
—Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
On the live stream, Nacua questioned whether head injuries are real or just figments of the imagination.
—Nate Atkins, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Are the protagonist’s past lives real, or just figments of his psychosis?
—Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figments
Noun
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Rybakina was under more scoreboard pressure in her service games, but Sabalenka’s opportunities were mostly illusions.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Saturn brings accountability, Neptune dissolves illusions and Aries demands action.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But these have always been legal fictions.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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The vast encyclopedic architecture of Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) or Mason & Dixon (1997) gives way here to a series of detective fictions each set in a distinct historical moment, each featuring a reluctant investigator sifting through the wreckage of cultural paranoia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Virgo August 23 – September 22 When dreams collide with walls, craft a clear plan.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Mauritanian survivor Koumba Diabaté enacts a beat-for-beat recreation of his Casino Royale fantasies in the Imperial Sky Villa of the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Jan. 2026
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Now, with its fantasies of mass deportation, the British National Party was tapping into a four-hundred-year-old darkness.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Big claims without specifics, such as bold visions with no concrete examples.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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And even the ethical people have differing perspectives—hard-core utilitarians focus on suffering—and then there are people like me who have more ambitious visions.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These are human stories first and foremost, tales of tragedy, struggle over adversity, and bittersweet romance.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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His whimsical and precisely-staged tales play on the artifice of cinema as much as on the heightened emotions of their characters.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Shortly after, the book began to take shape, with new elements often arriving in vivid daydreams and eerie nightmares.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
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And like the iconic Orient-Express (whose original route has been revived by Belmond's Venice Simplon-Orient-Express), the Champagne flutes, suited servers, and glossy design of this locomotive hold a seductive potential for daydreams and drama.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Many of my immigrant friends remember similar fabrications about their relatives’ lives, ostensibly made up to protect them.—
Ruth Madievsky,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
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These include the high-end fabrications Boglioli always relies on, which range from regenerated cashmere to lightweight flannels.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figments. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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