1
as in graphic
consisting of or relating to pictures
after a desensitizing series of imaginal exposures to the feared object, the phobic person is then exposed to the actual object
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
the equator is merely an imaginal line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imaginal
Peter [Merry] likes to use is that, when a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly, new ‘imaginal cells’ emerge.
—
Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Mercury entering into Pisces turns up the imaginal juice.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Then, from bundles of cells known as imaginal disks, a new body takes form.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Mercury entering into Pisces turns up the imaginal juice.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Then, from bundles of cells known as imaginal disks, a new body takes form.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginal
Adjective
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Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
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Donohoo said the graphic detail of the books could negatively impact the development of children regardless of sexuality.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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One way to represent a complex number like a + ib is as a point on a plane, where a is the position on the x-axis (which can be thought of as the real number line) and b is the position on an imaginary y-axis.—
Daniel Garisto,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Nov. 2025
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For example, the tests measure AI’s ability to fix inconsistencies in customer invoices Excel spreadsheets for an imaginary sales analyst role, or AI’s ability to create a full production schedule for a 60-second video shoot for an imaginary video producer.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the sites that CNN examined have less obvious visual clues tying them to missile production.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Its design blends sculpted carbon fiber with crimson hues, creating a visual symphony that feels alive even at rest.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The repetition of that mythic version has buttressed the belief that the fight for American independence was an event somehow separate from world history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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That was a really great mythic take.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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An enormous photographic project, spanning nearly a century of Kentucky history, holds up a mirror to the state's past and present.—
Ray Padilla,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
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The transients do not seem to be particles of nuclear fallout that have drifted down onto the photographic plate either, since such particles would produce foggy, diffuse spots, not pinpoint, star-like objects.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Anmore and Fort Langley — to make up the fictional community.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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SpringHill’s involvement signals a likely retention of the original’s format, with real sports stars playing themselves as clients of the fictional sports agency.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Much more easy to decipher are pictorial sidewall stamps, some of which include: All-Season: These are the cheapest possible tires, with the least possible performance.—
Wes Siler,
Outside,
16 Sep. 2025
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Yeager was one of Hef’s go-to photographers, shooting eight centerfolds along with pictorial spreads.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In a white Ford Expedition with exempt plates and red emergency lights, Farzam stopped at a checkpoint manned by the National Guard on January 17 and presented a document showing the vehicle was registered to the fictitious Santa Muerte Fire Department, prosecutors said.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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The film is set in a version of America that, while fictitious, still feels distinctly American.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imaginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginal. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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