Meaning & use

chimera

noun·Advanced

A mythical creature made of parts from different animals, often a lion, goat, and snake.

See it in a sentence

The ancient vase depicted a chimera breathing fire at a fleeing warrior.

His dream of instant wealth turned out to be nothing but a chimera.

A note on using this word

Chimera often describes an unrealistic hope or fear that has no real chance of coming true.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A single organism composed of genetically distinct cells, especially in genetics or biology.

Researchers created a genetic chimera by combining cells from two different mouse embryos.

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