make-believe 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of make-believenext
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination zoomed around the house in a make-believe car

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

make-believe

2 of 3

noun

as in fiction

Related Words

make believe

3 of 3

phrase

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of make-believe
Adjective
Tesshi Nakagawa’s scenic design is like a toy kingdom that induces the audience into a state of make-believe. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 But just as much of its humor came from portraying displays of everyday decency as the stuff of Hollywood make-believe, on par with the cinematic catharsis of a high-stakes Damon vehicle. — Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 10 May 2026
Noun
In the pretend kitchen, with the make-believe food and the fireless flames, there is something for everyone. — Hannah Engler Harvey, Longreads, 30 July 2026 Beginning in 1999, when the girls are just nine, Sanguinetti captures their childhood games of make-believe slowly giving way to the weight of adulthood – work, family, motherhood and diverging paths. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 July 2026
Phrase
In fact, she’s cosplayed as various personas, real and make believe, many a time, often with Downs by her side. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026 So in this case, let’s make believe in some timeline that didn’t happen and my wife got a manicure that day. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
  1. imaginary
  2. fiction
  3. fictional
  4. simulation
  5. fictitious
  6. imitation
  7. mythical
  8. representation
Adjective
  • This comes after the league rescinded fines levied against 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson for pretending to chug an imaginary drink.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Still, her father’s dinner does not erase his refusal to recognize her gender; his refusal does not make the dinner or hospital bill imaginary.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Noun
  • Forty-five films are selected for the fiction shortlist including Cannes 2026 Palme d’Or winner Fjord, Venice Golden Lion winner Woman Unknown and awards season frontrunners such as La Bola Negra and Coward.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Professor Dixon’s emails were just like his fiction writing—intimate and full of quotidian details.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of fiction
Adjective
  • Gascón will play Manuela, a teacher in an elite school, and Ituño the the role of Evita, the personal secretary to the prime minister of the series’ fictional country.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The series takes place during the fictional two-term Democratic administration of President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictional
Noun
  • The playoff projections are based on a Monte Carlo simulation, a computation of random sampling used to predict outcomes, of the 2026 season.
    — Loren Maxwell, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The scientists tested their conclusions by running simulations of planetary system evolution, all of which began with different conditions.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulation
Adjective
  • The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Dempsey appeared in Disney’s fantasy romance Enchanted (2007) as Robert Philip, a New York divorce lawyer whose orderly life is disrupted by the arrival of a fairy-tale princess (played by Amy Adams) from the fictitious land of Andalasia.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Noun
  • Bad imitations eventually reduced molecular gastronomy to a punch line about foam, fog, and something unfortunately known as meat glue.
    — John Vorwald, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Kubiak, who was KU’s wide-receivers coach in 2015, took part in his obligatory interview with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson and did an imitation of Joe Namath.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitation
Adjective
  • Waller is one of the NFL’s few mythical figures — one whose story precedes his stats, whose name supersedes his acclaim.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • With the season’s final two episodes not provided to critics, there’s no way to say yet whether The Lowdown achieves that mythical outcome of all mystery seasons, the Finale That Pulls It All Together.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of mythical
Noun
  • The show sought to expand norms of representation—a project whose sincerity all but courts the cringeworthy—with artists hell-bent on deconstructing the drive for beauty, including Orlan, Sara Cwynar, Juno Calypso, and Haley Morris-Cafiero.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Research published in Nature demonstrated classification using quantum states as feature spaces, offering different representations for evaluating relationships within data.
    — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of representation

Browse Nearby Words

make away with
make-believe
make believe
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Cite this Entry

“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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