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
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 All jobs have a performative aspect to them, but when people engage in make-believe in exchange for money, there’s often a devaluation of that work. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
Phrase
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
  • Other use cases for Google Earth’s image generation include visualizing future or imaginary projects.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • For years, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman and Marvel Comics have brought to the world Wakanda, an imaginary African nation powerful enough to control its resources, protect its culture and build its future without the rest of the world’s permission.
    — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of imaginary
Noun
  • At certain moments, her life possesses the brilliant vividness of fiction or myth.
    — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His turbulent and controversial life supplied much of the material for his fiction.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fiction
Adjective
  • Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas will all reprise their roles as the fictional Gray brothers in the band Connect 3, with comedian Sherry Cola also joining the cast.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Bud Billiken, the page’s fictional editor/mascot described as the guardian and protector of children, was invented by Abbott and the Defender’s executive editor Lucius Harper.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictional
Noun
  • Everything the team knows about how fast the plasma is actually moving comes from the simulations rather than from the telescope, and the magnetic field driving the whole thing has never been measured directly at this scale.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • For researchers, that could be more practical than waiting for quantum machines to handle entire scientific simulations.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of simulation
Adjective
  • Schools received an email from a fictitious two-parent household with both a mother and father interested in enrolling a child.
    — Kristy Buzard, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Twenty years later, Hughes would shoot some of his films at his alma mater, which would serve as the fictitious Shermer High School in the hits The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Noun
  • The shoes have also inspired countless imitations from other brands, making the popular design more affordable and accessible, while the original remains highly coveted among shoe lovers.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 July 2026
  • Bosses recently told Deadline that microdrama has moved well beyond cheap, schlocky imitations of traditional TV and film.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Definition of imitation
Adjective
  • Fast-forward from the lair of a mythical creature to the feeds of Gen-Z influencers and tangy, curd-y cheese is still having a moment.
    — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of chasing a mythical peak, look for three concrete signals.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of mythical
Noun
  • At a Black Girls Code summer day camp in Atlanta last month, roughly 50 girls built their own video games from scratch — part of a national push by the nonprofit to close a wide representation gap for Black women in the tech and gaming industries.
    — Carson Bonner, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Real-time indices, meanwhile, may suffer from inadequate representation across CPI categories.
    — David Zhang, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 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 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on make-believe

Nglish: Translation of make-believe for Spanish Speakers

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