chimerical

[ ki-mer-i-kuhl, -meer-, kahy- ]

adjective

1. unreal; imaginary; visionary:

   a chimerical terrestrial paradise.

   Synonyms: fantastic, illusory

   Antonyms: real

2. wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic:

   a chimerical plan.

chimerical

/ kɪ-; kaɪˈmɛrɪkəl; kaɪˈmɛrɪk /

adjective

1. wildly fanciful; imaginary
2. given to or indulging in fantasies

Derived Forms

• chiˈmerically, adverb
• chiˈmericalness, noun

Other Words From

• chi·mer·i·cal·ly adverb
• non·chi·mer·ic adjective
• non·chi·mer·i·cal adjective
• non·chi·mer·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of chimerical¹

First recorded in 1630–40; chimer(a) + -ical

Example Sentences

Sharply vivid rather than suggestively chimerical, the scenes and dances had a trim, finely honed character.

From New York Times

Claims made for the abilities or perils of AI chatbots have often turned out to be mistaken or chimerical.

From Los Angeles Times

Which is to say, this was a precious, anticipated, frankly anxious affair — the materialization of a beloved and mercurial performer moving from the chimerical to the literal.

From New York Times

Ms. Mori’s creations look like chimerical species — hybrids of barnacles and cumulus clouds, a baobab and a weeping willow, a waterlily and fiddlehead ferns, sea urchin spines and a swarm of starlings.

From New York Times

It is only natural, then, that in an age of extreme guilt, when in very tangible ways we feel as if we have failed the Earth itself, the chimerical enemy should be all too human.

From New York Times