chimerical
Existing only mentally
Chimerical means wildly fanciful or impossible—existing only in imagination.
The chimera was a fire-breathing monster from Greek mythology with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail.
Something chimerical is similarly improbable or fantastic: chimerical schemes, chimerical hopes of striking it rich.
The word suggests not just unlikely but fundamentally unrealizable.
Misleading sensory impression
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
false · misleading · unfounded · imagined · invented · make-believe · fictitious · hollow
Pursuing unrealistic standards
- impracticalNot suited for use
- utopianImpractically perfect in conception
- romanticConducive to love
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
dreamer · visionary · starry-eyed · naive · unrealistic · fanciful · wild-eyed · pie-in-the-sky
Legendary eagle-lion hybrid
- dragonLegendary fire-breathing reptile
- phoenixSelf-immolating, regenerating bird
- unicornMythical one-horned horse
- centaurHalf-human, half-equine being
pegasus · hydra · minotaur · sphinx · mermaid · gorgon · basilisk · kraken
Falsely appearing to exist
- fancifulImaginatively unrealistic
- dreamlikeHazy and fantastical
- phantasmagoricBizarrely dreamlike and shifting
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
unsubstantial · nebulous · shadowy · vaporous · insubstantial · surreal · spectral · gossamer
Impossible to acquire
- unworkableImpossible to execute
- improbableNot likely true
- unrealizableImpossible to achieve
- unfeasibleNot capable of execution
absurd · preposterous · far-fetched · inconceivable · implausible · hopeless · unachievable · outlandish
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
fantasy · false · misleading · unfounded · imagined · invented · make-believe · fictitious · hollow · baseless
idealistic
Pursuing unrealistic standards
- impracticalNot suited for use
- utopianImpractically perfect in conception
- romanticConducive to love
whimsical · dreamer · visionary · starry-eyed · naive · unrealistic · fanciful · wild-eyed · pie-in-the-sky · head-in-clouds
griffin
Legendary eagle-lion hybrid
- dragonLegendary fire-breathing reptile
- phoenixSelf-immolating, regenerating bird
- unicornMythical one-horned horse
centaur · pegasus · hydra · minotaur · sphinx · mermaid · gorgon · basilisk · kraken · cyclops
illusory
Falsely appearing to exist
- fancifulImaginatively unrealistic
- dreamlikeHazy and fantastical
- phantasmagoricBizarrely dreamlike and shifting
ethereal · unsubstantial · nebulous · shadowy · vaporous · insubstantial · surreal · spectral · gossamer · evanescent
unattainable
Impossible to acquire
- unworkableImpossible to execute
- improbableNot likely true
- unrealizableImpossible to achieve
unfeasible · absurd · preposterous · far-fetched · inconceivable · implausible · hopeless · unachievable · outlandish · ludicrous
chimericalrealistic
True to life
feasible · practical · achievable · attainable · workable