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
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
Ladan Anoushfar, CNN Money, 24 Nov. 2025
What happens when make-believe and surrogacy abut reality?
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Adjective
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
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
Noun
For the models, there is real money to be made – though it could only be spent in the make-believe world of the scam compound and its malls, cinemas and hotels, according to Sara.
—Ladan Anoushfar, CNN Money, 24 Nov. 2025
What happens when make-believe and surrogacy abut reality?
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
-
Under the noonday sun while fishing, or stealing light from the full moon, the point of his pencil traced the imaginary movements of the washers, threads, coil springs, cylinders, bolts, and screws that had long enriched the workings of his mind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Torgashev dropped an imaginary microphone for his ending pose, then doubled over before dropping to a knee as the crowd rose to its feet.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Just as Hedayat’s narrator tries to preserve the fleeting presence of the ethereal woman through an image, Golshiri’s protagonist has spent a lifetime writing this unattainable woman into his fiction to keep her alive.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
-
In an interview edited for length and clarity, Connelly talked about how he was convinced of Baber’s conclusions, the revelations the investigation reveals, as well as an update on his work in fiction and television.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As the voice of Rumi, Ejae performed the lead vocals of all the songs for HUNTR/X, the movie's fictional k-pop girl group that moonlights as demon hunters who protect the world from soul-sucking monsters.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In the fictional story of the Shakespeare family, their family tragedy leads Shakespeare to write Hamlet.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Testing includes closed-course validation and large-scale simulation alongside public road testing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Newcastle had a penalty chance of their own waved away just before the break, with referee Michael Salisbury booking Joelinton for simulation.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Anyone who’s survived to 2026 knows the upper class’ fictitious fantasies still carry real, wretched consequences for the rest of us, but Season 4 plays out those ongoing scenarios to the nth degree, while condensing them into an appreciable narrative arc.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The series, which premiered on Netflix at the end of 2024, tells the story of the Buendía family over multiple generations and is set in the fictitious town of Macondo, Colombia, which the family founded.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Designed to support reinforcement and imitation learning workflows, Adam-U enables tasks such as object manipulation, garment handling, and coordinated movement demonstrations.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Unsurprisingly, the story based on one of the greatest authors of spy stories ever trumps the imitation.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The veil seamlessly transitions into sculptural braids, and the almost mythical look was topped off with perfectly clear glass tips over her natural nails.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The name Siren's Curse comes from the mythical sirens who reside in Lake Erie and lure sailors with their singing.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In October, the Cascios' legal team filed a motion in opposition, claiming the siblings were pressured into signing without legal representation.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The majority of autistic representation is also still very white.—
Sarah Kurchak,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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