Synonyms of imaginary

imaginary

adjective

i-ˈma-jə-ˌner-ē 

as in fictitious

not real and existing only in the imagination

told by the psychologist that it was perfectly normal for their child to have an imaginary friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fictitious
• mythic
• fictional
• mythical
• fantasied
• fantastical
• imagined
• imaginal
• phantom
• ideal
• make-believe
• invented
• unreal
• fanciful
• chimerical
• phantasmal
• notional
• theoretic
• chimeric
• theoretical
• phantasmic
• pretend
• made-up
• hypothetical
• fantastic
• legendary
• fabulous
• visionary
• romantic
• unlikely
• fabled
• abstract
• fictive
• illusory
• phantasmagorical
• unbelievable
• hallucinatory
• unconvincing
• deceptive
• delusive
• envisioned
• phantasmagoric
• visualized
• nonexistent
• delusional
• conceived
• pictured
• envisaged
• concocted
• feigned
• fabricated
• daydreamlike
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• actual
• existing
• true
• existent
• genuine
• authentic
• factual
• physical
• realistic
• verifiable
• convincing
• substantial
• believable
• solid
• corporeal
• tangible
• material
• palpable
• verified

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective imaginary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of imaginary are chimerical, fanciful, fantastic, quixotic, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

How does the word chimerical relate to other synonyms for imaginary?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

In what contexts can fanciful take the place of imaginary?

In some situations, the words fanciful and imaginary are roughly equivalent. However, fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

When is it sensible to use fantastic instead of imaginary?

The words fantastic and imaginary can be used in similar contexts, but fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When could quixotic be used to replace imaginary?

Although the words quixotic and imaginary have much in common, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

When is visionary a more appropriate choice than imaginary?

While in some cases nearly identical to imaginary, visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of imaginary

Several heads of industry have toyed with creating an imaginary staff, embracing the self-mirroring feedback loop of their output as a plus. —Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 17 June 2025

The sun appears to travel through Earth's sky along an imaginary line called the ecliptic, which is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to our planet's celestial equator (the plane of Earth's equator projected into space). —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 10 June 2025

In the postwar period, car culture has become a seductive violation of private and public space, manifested in its ever more powerful cult status and continually expanding fetishization of an imaginary self-ruling and self-rolling subject secreted in shiny, protective armor. —Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025

In search of an imaginary land where true love is possible, the begin digging a tunnel through an entire mountain range. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2025