1
as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
unable to find any tracks in the snow the next morning, I was forced to conclude that the shadowy figure had been a figment of my imagination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fiction
something that is the product of the imagination
thus far, the invisible human being has been nothing more than a figment of fantasy writers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of figment
That practice remained with Cronin over the next six months, providing a figment to cling to as Dent failed to re-enact that greatness.
—
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Excusing those two flickers of broken hegemony, the WSL’s highest echelon has been an unassailable strongbox, a figment of the rest of the table’s imagination.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Soon, though, her world is turned upside down by an unsettling and persistent stalker — or just a figment of her own fracturing psyche.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
In the show, it is revealed that Slater's character is actually a figment of Elliot's imagination, and is his deceased father.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figment
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Excusing those two flickers of broken hegemony, the WSL’s highest echelon has been an unassailable strongbox, a figment of the rest of the table’s imagination.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Soon, though, her world is turned upside down by an unsettling and persistent stalker — or just a figment of her own fracturing psyche.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
In the show, it is revealed that Slater's character is actually a figment of Elliot's imagination, and is his deceased father.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for figment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figment
Noun
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But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny’s dog.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This week, even Penny’s exceptionalism is revealed to be an illusion.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hokum gives you a taste of one tormented scribe’s fiction before introducing you to the man behind the keyboard.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
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The director’s 2024 fiction project In Her Place also is streaming on Netflix.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The coffee shop seemed so long ago now, so far away, as if something out of a dream.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Derek Muller, an election law expert, suggests that scenario is little more than a fever dream of doomsday devotees and overly nervous Nellies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lush, dark wood shelving and the rolling library ladder of every bookish person's dreams complete the fantasy.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
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Yet this is precisely the idea that the Enhanced Games is peddling—the fantasy that what Proud or Collins takes to break a world record, at a different dose, might make a man in his 70s more mobile, energized, and maybe even hotter.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In this new work, advanced fabrication was used to create a 3D mesh of microscopic metal wires and electrodes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
-
SpaceX mention on call During the call, CEO Elon Musk talked about the mechanics of operations between his various companies, specifically regarding the buildout of his semiconductor fabrication project, Terafab.—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arve Henriksen’s trumpet is a celestial contrast to the vocals’ groundedness, a floater at the edge of the song’s smoky peripheral vision.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
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What do any of these throwaway lines actually illustrate about Homelander’s project of using the entertainment industry to sell his traditionalist vision of America?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 2-panel chart below tells the tale.—
Carter Braxton Worth,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Whitman’s poetry and prose; Melville’s early romances of the sea, Typee, Omoo, and Mardi; three novels by Harriet Beecher Stowe, including Uncle Tom’s Cabin; and the complete tales and sketches of Nathaniel Hawthorne.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Figment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figment. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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