chimerical

American  

[ki-mer-i-kuhl, -meer-, kahy-] / kɪˈmɛr ɪ kəl, -ˈmɪər-, kaɪ- /

Also chimeric

adjective

1. unreal; imaginary; visionary.

   a chimerical terrestrial paradise.

   Synonyms:

   fantastic, illusory

   Antonyms:

   real

2. wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic.

   a chimerical plan.

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chimerical British  

/ kɪ-, kaɪˈmɛrɪkəl, kaɪˈmɛrɪk /

adjective

1. wildly fanciful; imaginary

2. given to or indulging in fantasies

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Other Word Forms

• chimerically adverb
• chimericalness noun
• nonchimeric adjective
• nonchimerical adjective
• nonchimerically adverb

Etymology

Origin of chimerical

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

Example Sentences

Since then it has become clear that general-purpose robots that look and act like humans are chimerical.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

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 • Apr. 26, 2023

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 • Feb. 16, 2023

Uto'pian, ideal, fanciful, chimerical: from "Utopia"—an imaginary island, represented by Sir Thomas More, in a work called "Utopia," as enjoying the greatest perfection in politics laws, and society.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton