Synonyms of visionary

visionary 1 of 2

adjective

ˈvi-zhə-ˌner-ē 

1

as in romantic

having or marked by a tendency to be guided more by ideals than by reality

a visionary plan for a manned flight to Mars even though there are pressing problems right here on earth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• romantic
• impractical
• utopian
• idealistic
• idealist
• ideological
• quixotic
• optimistic
• starry-eyed
• hopeful
• starry
• quixotical
• messianic
• zealous
• sentimental
• crusading
• unrealistic
• doctrinaire
• moony
• moonstruck
• tender-minded
• Pollyannaish
• upbeat
• rosy
• dewy-eyed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pragmatic
• unsentimental
• hardheaded
• practical
• clear-eyed
• realistic
• clear-sighted
• tough-minded
• hard-nosed

2

as in fictional

not real and existing only in the imagination

one of several Christian saints who claimed to have had visionary experiences of hell

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fictional
• mythical
• imaginary
• fictitious
• imagined
• fantasied
• imaginal
• ideal
• fanciful
• invented
• chimerical
• unreal
• legendary
• phantom
• theoretical
• make-believe
• phantasmal
• notional
• fantastic
• phantasmic
• romantic
• fabulous
• unlikely
• hypothetical
• pretend
• abstract
• fabled
• made-up
• envisioned
• hallucinatory
• unbelievable
• delusional
• conceived
• phantasmagoric
• visualized
• deceptive
• delusive
• envisaged
• illusory
• fictive
• unconvincing
• pictured
• concocted
• nonexistent
• daydreamlike
• fabricated
• feigned
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• actual
• true
• existing
• genuine
• authentic
• existent
• realistic
• factual
• physical
• convincing
• verifiable
• substantial
• solid
• believable
• tangible
• corporeal
• material
• palpable
• verified

3

as in cautious

having or showing awareness of and preparation for the future

in a visionary move, the developer bought large tracts of the waterfront just before property values skyrocketed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cautious
• careful
• prescient
• farsighted
• foresighted
• proactive
• forward-looking
• farseeing
• provident
• forward
• wise
• foreseeing
• forethoughtful
• prudent
• forehanded
• insightful
• sagacious
• perceptive
• discerning
• heedful
• sage
• percipient
• sapient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• myopic
• shortsighted
• improvident
• careless
• half-baked
• heedless
• incautious
• half-cocked

visionary

2 of 2

noun

1

as in diviner

one who predicts future events or developments

according to Greek myth, Cassandra was a visionary who was endowed with the gift of inerrant prophecy but fated to never be believed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• diviner
• prophet
• forecaster
• mystic
• futurist
• sibyl
• seer
• oracle
• soothsayer
• prognosticator
• foreteller
• fortune-teller
• augur
• foreseer
• prophetess
• prophesier
• astrologer
• wisewoman
• Cassandra
• Jeremiah
• crystal gazer
• palmist
• doomsayer
• doomsdayer
• rhabdomancer

2

as in dreamer

one whose conduct is guided more by the image of perfection than by the real world

19th-century visionaries who founded short-lived communities in which everyone was supposed to live in perfect peace and harmony

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dreamer
• romantic
• idealist
• romanticist
• ideologue
• utopian
• Don Quixote
• idealizer
• theorist
• fantast
• optimist
• sentimentalist
• daydreamer
• emotionalist
• thinker
• reformer
• Pollyanna
• perfectionist
• Micawber
• fantasizer
• do-gooder
• doctrinaire
• woolgatherer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• realist
• pragmatist
• cynic
• pessimist
• defeatist
• empiricist
• hardnose
• empiric

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective visionary contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of visionary are chimerical, fanciful, fantastic, imaginary, and quixotic. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

How is chimerical related to other words for visionary?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

When might fanciful be a better fit than visionary?

In some situations, the words fanciful and visionary are roughly equivalent. However, fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

When can fantastic be used instead of visionary?

The meanings of fantastic and visionary largely overlap; however, fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When is imaginary a more appropriate choice than visionary?

Although the words imaginary and visionary have much in common, imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

When could quixotic be used to replace visionary?

While in some cases nearly identical to visionary, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of visionary

Adjective

Scott, the company's founder who served as interim CEO after Nolan’s exit, will remain with the company as chief visionary officer and majority shareholder. —Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026

Without an open-minded head coach, without a visionary franchise, Jackson could have fallen well short of stardom. —Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Noun

With expert visionaries, Meow Wolf's world-building is all about detail and narrative direction. —Malik Peay, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025

In her 80s, Bradford has the wisdom of a visionary and is utterly on her game, creating captivating paintings of figures suspended in fields of blue paint. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025