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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imaginary
New York is a realm of fantasy and myth, obsession and resentment, fear and bewilderment for many who’ve never set foot in it; and many who live here also purvey and perpetuate some version of the imaginary city.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Never let your imaginary AI friend inadvertently rat you out when it’s only meant to juice your social-media engagement stats, friends!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Occasionally these excursions were imaginary, conjuring a far-away place from Paris, but the spirit of adventure is constant.
—Steff Yotka, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
This means flopping through different symbolic rooms of an imaginary house — a schtick that Danielle Deadwyler also had to do for the same reason in The Woman in the Yard, a movie that might still be playing when Thunderbolts* hits the cineplex.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
Never let your imaginary AI friend inadvertently rat you out when it’s only meant to juice your social-media engagement stats, friends!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Occasionally these excursions were imaginary, conjuring a far-away place from Paris, but the spirit of adventure is constant.
—Steff Yotka, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2025
This means flopping through different symbolic rooms of an imaginary house — a schtick that Danielle Deadwyler also had to do for the same reason in The Woman in the Yard, a movie that might still be playing when Thunderbolts* hits the cineplex.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imaginary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imaginary
Adjective
-
The Scheme To carry out the fraud scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators created fictitious employers and lists of alleged employees—those lists were generated using personally identifiable information (PII) gleaned from thousands of identity theft victims.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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When Noah Wyle reunited with ER producers John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill to make HBO Max’s The Pitt, the plan was to offer a realistic portrayal of healthcare today through the lens of harried pros working in a fictitious Pittsburgh hospital.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Ready to swap the real-world drama for a fictional web of secrets and lies?—
Andrea Bartz,
People.com,
18 May 2025
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The movie takes place in May 2020 and is set in a small fictional town in New Mexico, where the local sheriff Joe Cross (Phoenix) decides to run against the charismatic and COVID-conscious mayor Ted Garcia (Pascal).—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
What makes the book so extraordinary is that is functions as a de facto catalogue for a mythical Rolex museum, chock full of images of timepieces from every Rolex era, dating to 1908, three years after the brand was founded.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
26 May 2025
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The mythical creature is said to be the origin of the first Vietnamese people.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imaginary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imaginary. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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