as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fiction
Related Words
make believe
3 of 3phrase
as in pretend
to present a false appearance of
He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, a new study suggests that such make-believe play is not a uniquely human talent, but a skill that great apes also possess.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Adjective
The counterargument is that the world is filled with so many visible atrocities right now that a make-believe movie poster seems like the least of our problems.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
Noun
Park Güell is an almost make-believe landscape, home to Barcelona’s famous mosaic lizard—the image on a thousand postcards—plus spiral towers that look like fairground slides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, a new study suggests that such make-believe play is not a uniquely human talent, but a skill that great apes also possess.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
-
To find Hydra, first locate the bright stars Chertan and Regulus in the constellation Leo and draw an imaginary line from the former to the latter, extending 20 degrees into open space.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 May 2026
-
Artists in the 18th century would often include a person of color, who would sometimes be imaginary, in their portraits of wealthy white sitters to embellish the painting and highlight the high status of the main subject, according to the researchers.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
But mostly, the intertwining threads just sit there, never coming together in any satisfying way or holding up as their own story within the story, despite how hard the writers work at showing that reality can inspire fiction but fiction can also bounce back to influence reality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
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For the week ending May 10, 2026 Here are this week’s Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers for fiction, based on sales in hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide, generously provided by the American Booksellers Association.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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The series, which is set in the fictional county of Rutshire, England, follows an intense rivalry.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
The fictional character was highly logical, possessed great inner strength, exhibited loyalty, kept his emotions in check, and otherwise showcased admirable qualities.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The simulations showed that the collision unfolded in several stages.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
-
Some people know that there is no human on the other side but say that the simulation of connection and understanding is enough.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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Paul Dano is spin doctor and adviser Vadim Baranov, a fictitious character loosely inspired by real-life Russian politician Vladislav Surkov.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
That was a role model of a fictitious kind.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The setup uses two CRX collaborative robots trained through imitation learning, where a human operator first performs the folding task, and the robots learn from those demonstrations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
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But the most memorable impressions are rarely straightforward imitations.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Opened in 2020, the museum features interactive exhibits dedicated to the mythical sea creature.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
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Loosely based on the legends of the Nang Mai, Thailand’s mythical forest nymphs, the film is scripted by Patrick Graham, the writer behind Netflix’s Indian horror series Ghoul and Betaal, based on a concept by Songsak Mongkolthong (Graveyard Horror), who is also attached to direct.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
But in a matter of days, the race for control of the House — and the speaker’s gavel — was dramatically reset by back-to-back court rulings that wiped out the Democratic gains in Virginia and now threaten to erode Black representation by Democrats in the Deep South.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
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The decision’s impact Gerling said the argument that the new districts make Kansas City more powerful with additional representation is not realistic.—
Ben Wheeler
May 14,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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