as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fiction
Synonyms & Similar Words
make believe
3 of 3phrase
as in pretend
to present a false appearance of
He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2024
Real life and make-believe merged in Nicholas Hoult's daring on-screen escape.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make-believe 
Adjective
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
Noun
From the boy’s mother, police learned that Dallas had recently developed an interest in a game in which players assumed the roles of fantastical heroes who slew monsters and uncovered lost treasures through a combination of dice rolls and make-believe.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2024
Real life and make-believe merged in Nicholas Hoult's daring on-screen escape.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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If a planet is visible from the night side of Earth, it can only ever be seen along an imaginary path through the sky called the ecliptic.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Monday’s victory was only a month and a week removed from one of the more embarrassing losses of the Knicks season, an NBA Cup quarterfinal loss Young punctuated by rolling a set of imaginary die on The Garden’s center-court logo.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The film, which stars Dern, Justin Theroux, and Jeremy Irons, is another meditation on Hollywood, blurring the lines between layers of fiction and dizzyingly captured with a digital camcorder.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
16 Jan. 2025
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This read will especially appeal to those who have an affinity for historical fiction authors like Vanessa Riley (Island Queen, Queen of Exiles), Piper Hughley (By Her Own Design, American Daughters), and Victoria Christopher Murray (The First Ladies, The Personal Librarian).—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Given the clandestine nature of the process, the true number of fictitious sons who arrived during exclusion will never be known.—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
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Detectives also found that Labelle allegedly altered several documents and provided the homeowner with fictitious receipts to deceive them, according to Riley.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Of course, the simulation itself can’t be brought to the digital marketing world (not yet, at least), but the excitement of getting consumers to engage, personalize and create dream cars with a few screen taps is no longer a distant fantasy.—
Michael Della Penna,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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Next up is Blender, an open-source 3D content creation suite for modeling, animation, simulation, and compositing.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In his office, Berg used an ice axe to pitch Smith on a collaboration, which would eventually follow a fictional frontiersman and mother-son duo navigating the Westward expansion.—
Abbey White,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The duo first shared the screen in 1999's Any Given Sunday, which follows a fictional professional football team.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Jones saunters to the middle of the cage, shimmying his hips and arms in an imitation of Trump’s signature shuffle-dance.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2025
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But Yakin’s script is no imitation; this is a smart, sensitive story of a young drug runner (Sean Nelson) who uses the chess strategies taught to him by his absentee father (Samuel L. Jackson) to double-cross his employer (Giancarlo Esposito).—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
There’s a reason that on his goalie mask is painted a mythical phoenix, rising from the ashes.—
Kevin Kurz,
The Athletic,
14 Jan. 2025
-
What To Know Hindu pilgrims gather at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers, seeking liberation from the cycle of rebirth.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That authentic representation has been praised in a region full of diversity.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2025
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Turbulence can be measured by the eddy dissipation rate (EDR), a numerical representation of the intensity of the turbulence.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near make-believe
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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