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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of figments
Are the protagonist’s past lives real, or just figments of his psychosis?
—
Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figments
Noun
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Inside a mesmerising hall of mirrors inspired by Houdini's illusions, massages with seasonal Hungarian essential oils and rejuvenating mud wraps release any and all tension.—
Cassie Doney,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Her sister, Kali, has the power to create illusions, so the Eleven that everyone witnessed in her final moments could have been fake, and the real Eleven could have slipped away without being detected.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
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The fictions that result, many so small and meaningless, can be accepted without much trouble.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Sadly, his college ball dreams didn’t come to fruition after the coach who called him up retired.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
But your kid with pro athlete dreams is likely not part of the 70%.—
Jonathan Carone,
Parents,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And, once again, fantasies of surgical strikes are yielding to messy realities.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Ride a Luge Live out your Milan 2026 fantasies at Michigan's Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
House and Senate lawmakers’ conflicting visions for providing systemic property tax relief fell apart in 2025 as each chamber shot down the other’s constitutional amendment proposal.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Jan. 2026
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Who knows what visions may lie ahead?—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller swap funny tales with Sarah Silverman.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
This week’s challenge tests your memory of 21st-century books that were inspired by ancient myths, legends and folk tales.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Alas, my daydreams about adapting an essay from my collection into a limited series TV show turned out to be just that.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
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What about those perfect days and the daydreams that had sustained us?—
Michael Paterniti,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
My hope is that political discourse in 2026 focuses on solutions, not accusations and fabrications.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
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These included fabrications of Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc, 1981, and On Kawara’slost briefcase, stolen during a 1979 trip.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figments. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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