Imaginary and Ideal

Imaginary

Imaginary adjective - Not real and existing only in the imagination.
Usage example: told by the psychologist that it was perfectly normal for their child to have an imaginary friend

Ideal is a synonym for imaginary in vision topic. In some cases you can use "Ideal" instead an adjective "Imaginary", when it comes to topics like fictional, fictitious. popular alternative

Nearby Words: imagination, imaginative

Ideal

Ideal adjective - Not real and existing only in the imagination.
Usage example: depicts an ideal society in which conflict and privation are unknown

Imaginary is a synonym for ideal in vision topic. You can use "Imaginary" instead an adjective "Ideal", if it concerns topics such as conceptual, unreal. popular alternative

Cite this Source
Ideal and Imaginary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/imaginary/ideal
Imaginary & Ideal. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/imaginary/ideal>.
Ideal or Imaginary. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/imaginary/ideal.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "imaginary" and "ideal" have occurred on timeline