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
Related 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, a new study suggests that such make-believe play is not a uniquely human talent, but a skill that great apes also possess.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
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
Park Güell is an almost make-believe landscape, home to Barcelona’s famous mosaic lizard—the image on a thousand postcards—plus spiral towers that look like fairground slides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Now, a new study suggests that such make-believe play is not a uniquely human talent, but a skill that great apes also possess.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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Footnotes and excerpts from imaginary texts add to the story’s worldbuilding and its charm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
The takeaway isn’t that morning anxiety is imaginary.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This book has an addictive narrative style that feels more like a fiction thriller than nonfiction.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Apple TV‘s Murderbot blends science-fiction, comedy, human emotion and many more elements, so the music is just as eclectic.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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That is the unhinged (complimentary) premise of Thomas Elrod’s debut, in which the fictional cult-classic epic fantasy Malicarn series is staged on an island with unwitting actors temporarily imprinted with the characters’ backstories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Midtown office buildings One of the most recognizable locations in the film is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, a 51-story tower in Midtown Manhattan that served as the exterior for the fictional Runway magazine headquarters in the original 2006 film.—
Kelly McGreal , Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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When given profit-at-all-costs prompts, agentic systems have exhibited aggressive behavior, such as threatening a competitor with supply cutoffs in simulations.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
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The computer simulations enabled the team to break down those different sizes, revealing that the initial tail oscillations produce large vortex rings that generate thrust, and those larger ones then produce many more smaller vortices.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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First, Jones submitted fraudulent expense reimbursement requests for fictitious business expenses.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators say the monthly payroll expenses and the number of employees were fictitious and that the documents used to support the monthly income for the companies were false.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That task had required demolition and repression, imitation and invention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, OpenAI’s actions are especially telling.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But there's also race history, manifested in fandom by Secretariat, the almost mythical champion racehorse known as Big Red who ruled the tracks in the mid-1970s.—
Javier Zarracina,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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In Phantom Combatants, Tontey transforms Karamoy from a singular historical figure into a mythic presence multiplied through a chorus of young troops, according to a press release.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Is there an extra responsibility toward representation when casting media that purports to represent reality versus casting something scripted?—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
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The system converts facial images into a unique numerical representation tied to your account rather than storing raw photos long term.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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