as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination
told by the psychologist that it was perfectly normal for their child to have an imaginary friend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 imaginary
All of the naked-eye planets, as well as the moon, closely follow an imaginary line in the sky called the ecliptic.
—
Joe Rao, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2025
After the war, that technology, developed by a painfully pretentious guru named Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci), was sold to the public as a way of keeping them sedated and immersed in imaginary worlds.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
And now a question for a future newsletter: Do the kids in your life have imaginary friends?
—Anna North, Vox, 13 Mar. 2025
In a statement accompanying the photo, ESO notes that the planets do not follow the same arc of the Milky Way, but instead follow an imaginary line known as the ecliptic.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Joe Rao, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2025
After the war, that technology, developed by a painfully pretentious guru named Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci), was sold to the public as a way of keeping them sedated and immersed in imaginary worlds.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
And now a question for a future newsletter: Do the kids in your life have imaginary friends?
—Anna North, Vox, 13 Mar. 2025
In a statement accompanying the photo, ESO notes that the planets do not follow the same arc of the Milky Way, but instead follow an imaginary line known as the ecliptic.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginary
Adjective
-
In addition to retiring the mortgage early, the move would save our fictitious borrower $46,920.89 in interest.—
Gary Sandler,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Between February and August 2022, prosecutors say Santos used her credit card repeatedly, attributing donations to her, her daughter, or fictitious names.—
Jason Volack,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Bad Summer People, which has drawn comparisons to The White Lotus, is set in the idyllic fictional town of Salcombe, Fire Island, and follows a sequence of life shattering events when a body is discovered off the side of the boardwalk.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Nowhere is this attention to detail more felt than in the production design of the studio itself, which is intended to emulate great legacy companies like Paramount and Warner Bros., the latter of which stands in for the series’ fictional Continental Studios in exterior scenes.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This relic of constitutional law, which the Supreme Court hasn’t taken seriously since its quiet death in the New Deal era, is more mythical than historical—holding, more or less, that Congress cannot delegate its lawmaking power to another branch of government.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
-
This name originates from a Greek myth. Eunice: Another historic Greek name, the mythical Eunice was the sea-nymph daughter of Nereus and Doris.—
Lydia Wang,
Parents,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imaginary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginary. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share