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
make believe
2 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
as in fiction
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Zak Doffman, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Elizabeth’s character gives Virginia’s child-like character a bath at a certain point, and both of your performances sold this make-believe mother-daughter scenario.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Adjective
But in a make-believe world, nothing is flagged.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Elizabeth’s character gives Virginia’s child-like character a bath at a certain point, and both of your performances sold this make-believe mother-daughter scenario.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
Phrase
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
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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Since its inception, astronomers had busied themselves tracking the apparent movements of the stars, moon and planets relative to an imaginary line running north to south through the observatory, known as a 'meridian'.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
22 June 2025
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Some will retreat from public life, spurning those closest to them in favor of an imaginary narrative woven with these programs.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Megan Abbott is my favorite suspense/crime fiction writer working today.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
-
Its slate includes a fiction feature, two documentaries, and two Latin American co-productions.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Although it was portrayed as the fictitious Amity island in the film, many of the location sites are still favorite destinations with travelers — less so for the traffic and tourist-averse year-round islanders.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
27 June 2025
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Instead, the two lawyers achieved notoriety in 2023 when the judge in the case fined the pair $5,000 for citing six fictitious cases, invented by artificial intelligence software, in a brief to the court.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Computer power is another major limiting factor in running simulations that predict future climate change.—
Max G. Levy,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
-
Each of these had a variable number of lithium atoms at each of the corners of these structures, and molecular simulations showed that lithium ions could readily move between these locations, allowing the material to shuffle ions around rapidly.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that, under the multiyear deal, IMG Licensing will develop and manage a robust licensing program spanning Maas’s entire fictional universe with the aim of creating new touchpoints for her fervid fan base.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2025
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In experiments set up to leave AI models few options and stress-test alignment, top systems from OpenAI, Google, and others frequently resorted to blackmail—and in an extreme case, even allowed fictional deaths—to protect their interests.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The pinstriped Padre had just authored a sharp imitation of one of baseball’s iconic moments by another pinstriped slugging center fielder.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Companies such as Hermès, which has navigated numerous industry shifts and challenges throughout its 188-year history, will likely find a way to combat the threat of low-cost imitations.—
Garth Friesen,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Even with the security, though, collectors and fans are able to get up close to items that may have previously seemed mythical.—
Larry Holder,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
-
The electric Nebraska has become a mythical object for Springsteen fans over the years, and there’s been a lot of evidence suggesting the tapes do exist.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
The Women in the Animation Industry conference, presented in partnership with Women in Animation, tackled pay gaps, representation and sustainable career pathways.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
20 June 2025
-
Veteran actor George Eads has signed exclusively with Artists & Representatives agency for representation.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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