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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The movie is written by Heartstopper creator, executive producer and graphic novelist Alice Oseman.—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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The rest of the multihyphenate artist’s look included gray wool trousers, a graphic T-shirt and a burgundy leather jacket with a significant foldover element.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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She was arrested last summer for yelling at imaginary people due to her psychiatric challenges, Murphy said.—
Jack Dura,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
-
But these images as well as those from other cultures are evidence of how deeply the dog is lodged in folk consciousness as an imaginary animal alter ego.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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Then the app turns that description into a visual cue.—
Kurt Knutsson
FOX News may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links.,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Every win gave way to new visual testimony that the city was Knicks-obsessed.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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The site tells you, in simple terms, whether the dog — or any other animal, real or mythical — makes it out alive.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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There are also hopper toys that defy the typical ball design in favor of whimsical animals and mythical creatures.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Located on the property, the facility functions as part photographic studio, part learning space, and part editing suite.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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In the ’80s came his extraordinary multi-image photographic collages of friends including Isherwood and Bachardy and such landmarks as the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Canyon and Pearblossom Highway.—
Barbara Isenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The Jurassic Park screenwriter notes that aliens, both real and fictional, might exist entirely outside of the bounds of human comprehension.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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What was the challenge of making this fictional band’s stardom believable — the charisma, the presence on stage, the discography?—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Each piece spells out a message—happiness, beauty, and magnificence—in the ancient pictorial writing.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
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Silence = Death, the work of the Silence = Death Collective (and not ACT UP, as Avram Finkelstein relates in his interview) became the primary pictorial representation of ACT UP and a rallying slogan for the fight against the disease.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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However, operators often hide behind fictitious or stolen identities and fail to comply with cease-and-desist letters; meanwhile, hosting servers are often untraceable, shielded by anonymization techniques or by being located in countries where legal enforcement is extremely difficult.—
Emma Woollacott,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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He is charged with one count of unlawful voting by aliens and one count of the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imaginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginal. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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