as if
Supposing it were
As if introduces a comparison to something hypothetical or counterfactual: He acted as if nothing had happened, She looked at me as if I were crazy.
Standing alone, as if expresses skeptical dismissal—shorthand for "as if that were true" or "as if that would ever happen": You think he'll apologize? As if.
Impossible to accept as true
- impossibleIncapable of occurring
- preposterousCompletely contrary to reason
- absurdWildly illogical
- ridiculousInviting scorn through absurdity
ludicrous · far-fetched · implausible · unthinkable · sarcastic · dismissive · eye-roll · scoff
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- feigningPretending to feel something
- actingTemporarily holding position
- simulationImitation of real processes
charade · masquerade · fakery · sham · facade · illusion · deception · mimicry
Accept as true tentatively
- imagineForm mental pictures
- scenarioPostulated event sequence
- possibilityState of being achievable
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
speculation · theoretical · assumption · pretend · counterfactual · projection · contingency · presumption
Comparable to, or enjoy
- similarResembling another thing
- resemblingShowing similarity to
- analogousComparable in certain respects
- comparableAble to be likened
akin · tantamount · equivalent · parallel · approximating · suggesting · evoking · reminiscent
unbelievable
Impossible to accept as true
- impossibleIncapable of occurring
- preposterousCompletely contrary to reason
- absurdWildly illogical
ridiculous · ludicrous · far-fetched · implausible · unthinkable · sarcastic · dismissive · eye-roll · scoff · snort
pretend
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- feigningPretending to feel something
- actingTemporarily holding position
simulation · charade · masquerade · fakery · sham · facade · illusion · deception · mimicry · performance
suppose
Accept as true tentatively
- imagineForm mental pictures
- scenarioPostulated event sequence
- possibilityState of being achievable
conjecture · speculation · theoretical · assumption · pretend · counterfactual · projection · contingency · presumption · postulate
like
Comparable to, or enjoy
- similarResembling another thing
- resemblingShowing similarity to
- analogousComparable in certain respects
comparable · akin · tantamount · equivalent · parallel · approximating · suggesting · evoking · reminiscent · mirroring
- sarcastic phraseswhatever, who cares, yeah right, so what, why bother
- sarcasmyeah right, oh please, oh really, how original, big surprise
- 90s Slangall that, da bomb, the bomb, dope, fly
- phrasesnoun phrases, noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, prepositional phrases
- sarcastic rejectionsdream on, fat chance, in your dreams, yeah right, keep dreaming
- disbeliefdisbelief, no way, incredulity, unbelievable, yeah right
as ifin fact
Emphasizing what's true
actually · in reality · as it is · in truth · really
as ifcertainly
Without any doubt
definitely · undoubtedly · surely · without doubt · for certain
as iffor real
Genuinely, without pretense
absolutely · of course · yes indeed · definitely · totally
as, if, as it were