MAKE-BELIEVE Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

make-believe 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of make-believe

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

make-believe

2 of 3

noun

as in fiction

Related Words

make believe

3 of 3

phrase

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of make-believe

Adjective

Tesshi Nakagawa’s scenic design is like a toy kingdom that induces the audience into a state of make-believe. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 But just as much of its humor came from portraying displays of everyday decency as the stuff of Hollywood make-believe, on par with the cinematic catharsis of a high-stakes Damon vehicle. — Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 10 May 2026

Noun

Johansson may have been in character while wearing the shoes, but there’s nothing make-believe about their comfort. — Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026 Light on its feet but quietly attuned to questions of grief, memory and make-believe, the film serves as a charming aperitif to kick off this year’s festival — a playful ode to the magic of cinema. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026

Phrase

So in this case, let’s make believe in some timeline that didn’t happen and my wife got a manicure that day. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for make-believe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe

Adjective

Just before the pandemic, Manhattan’s MCC Theater staged a show called All the Natalie Portmans, about a gay Black teenage cinephile who envisions the actor as a kind of manic pixie imaginary friend.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Near the end of the story, Gardner pledges to kill his imaginary son to spare him war’s toll, but backs out upon his wish to be transformed into a noble soldier.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of imaginary

Noun

If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
The project is launching from Clive Barker Ink, the author’s creative imprint, and Ensata Press, a publishing imprint focusing on horror, dark fantasy and genre fiction.

— Mya Copeland, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of fiction

Adjective

Anything seemed possible in medical science breakthroughs, from repairing a fictional astronaut to reconstructing a real-life ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
The fictional microstate Elgaland-Vargaland begins as an artistic game but evolves into a powerful lens on borders and identity.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of fictional

Noun

Eventual champions Coventry City and runners-up Ipswich Town were tipped to finish fourth and third respectively before a ball had been kicked last August, via the running of 10,000 simulations of how the campaign would unfold.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
By combining observations of IRS 3's spectrum with simulations of how its light travels through different models of the surrounding material, researchers reconstructed the structure of the star's envelope.

— Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of simulation

Adjective

The undercover analyst noted in a message that his fictitious 4-year-old brother would be home the next day, when the Perez meeting was expected.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
Final testing relied on fictitious data instead of the real records of millions of residents.

— Komal Goyal, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of fictitious

Adjective

The American supermarket, with its endless array of products and innovations like the shopping cart and barcodes, has achieved an almost mythical status around the world.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Such is the power of mythic literature that the creation has outlived his creator.

— Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of mythical

Noun

Full representation, including an attorney for each partner, costs $699 per partner.

— Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2026
The big conversation that was had on social media about the series was the representation of the realities of parenting, particularly motherhood.

— Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of representation

Browse Nearby Words

make away with

make-believe

make believe

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Style

“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of make-believe

adjective

noun

phrase

Example Sentences

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