chimerical

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/kɪˈmɛɹɪkəl//kaɪ-/

adjective

Of or pertaining to a chimera.

“a chimerical goal”

RareScrabble 19

Meanings

adjectivechimerical (comparative more chimerical, superlative most chimerical)

comparative more chimerical · superlative most chimerical · alternative chimaerical · alternative chimærical

  1. Of or pertaining to a chimera.
  2. Being a figment of the imagination; fantastic (in the archaic sense).

    a chimerical goal

    2 more examples

    "Yes; I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical, are really extremely practical—so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese."

    1887, Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

    With his head bent, and his big feet spread apart, he began explaining his reasons for thinking the abbé’s plan chimerical.

    1869, Leon Tolstoy, War and Peace (Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude)
  3. Inherently fantastic; wildly fanciful.
    1 more example

    "You are the most charming person in the world. You are invested with a perfect halo of delight," exclaimed Henrietta. "Miss Churchill has some chimerical notion of honour in her head, but that is over now; your information does not leave a single obstacle in the way of the most perfect happiness that ever wound up a fairy tale...

    1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 51
  4. biologyResulting from the expression of two or more genes that originally coded for separate proteins.
  5. visionImpossible to physically produce due to having an impossibly-high saturation or luminosity, but viewable by overlaying an afterimage and a suitably-colored physical image.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivebeing or relating to or like a chimera

adjectiveproduced by a wildly fanciful imagination

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekχίμαιρα“she-goat”
  2. Latinchimaera
  3. Englishchimerical

From chimera, from Latin chimaera, from Ancient Greek χίμαιρα (khímaira, “she-goat”). This term entered English in or around 1638.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic خُرَافِيّ
  • خُرَافِيّ (ḵurāfiyy)inherently fantastic
Catalan quimèric, quimèric
  • quimèricof or pertaining to a chimera
  • quimèricbeing a figment of the imagination
Esperanto ĥimera, ĥimera
  • ĥimeraof or pertaining to a chimera
  • ĥimerabeing a figment of the imagination
  • ĥimerainherently fantastic
French chimérique, chimérique
  • chimériqueof or pertaining to a chimera
  • chimériqueresulting from the expression of two or more genes
German Chimären-, chimärenhaft
  • Chimären-of or pertaining to a chimera
  • chimärenhaftbeing a figment of the imagination
  • chimärischinherently fantastic
  • wunderhaftinherently fantastic
Irish ciméarach
  • ciméarachof or pertaining to a chimera
Italian chimerico
  • chimericoresulting from the expression of two or more genes
Portuguese quimérico
  • quiméricoresulting from the expression of two or more genes
Russian химери́чный, химери́ческий
  • химери́чный (ximeríčnyj)being a figment of the imagination
  • химери́ческий (ximeríčeskij)being a figment of the imagination
  • химе́рный (ximérnyj)inherently fantastic
  • чуда́ческий (čudáčeskij)inherently fantastic
  • химе́рный (ximérnyj)resulting from the expression of two or more genes
Spanish quimérico
  • quiméricoresulting from the expression of two or more genes
Ukrainian химеристий, химе́рний
  • химеристий (xymerystyj)being a figment of the imagination
  • химе́рний (xymérnyj)inherently fantastic
  • чудернацький (čudernacʹkyj)inherently fantastic
  • химе́рний (xymérnyj)resulting from the expression of two or more genes

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with chimerical

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Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

chimerical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimerical

MLA

“chimerical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimerical. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chimerical,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chimerical.

Source: chimerical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.