Chimerical

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɪˈmɛɹɪkÉ™l/

Origin

From chimera, from Latin chimaera, from Ancient Greek χίμαιρα (khímaira, "she-goat"). This term entered English around 1638.

Full definition of chimerical

Adjective

1. Of or pertaining to a chimera.
2. Being a figment of the imagination; fantastic (in the archaic sense).
• 1877, Arthur Conan Doyle, "Yes; I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical, are really extremely practical—so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese."
3. a chimerical goal
4. Inherently fantastic; wildly fanciful.

Derived terms

• chimerically