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make-believe

make-believe

3 3.7
Imaginary and made to seem real for play or stories
  • adjective
  • /ˈmeɪk bɪˈliːv/
translation icon : imaginario
  • He patted his stomach, full from his make-believe meal.
  • make-believe and real

They're very sophisticated, so they know that their best friend is real and Batman is make believe.

Examples

  • It's all make believe, it's all digital.

  • The children's play featured a make-believe castle where they imagined being royalty.

  • It's all make believe, it's all digital.

  • Remember when we had our discussion about make believe?

  • I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world.

  • He jabbed a finger like a make-believe pistol at Pancho, the signal that she was to lift her visor now.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Then he held his arms out and pretended he was holding a woman, his body erect, one hand cupping an imaginary elbow, the other a make-believe back.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • In her make-believe world, she could be anything she wanted, from a superhero to a mermaid.

  • The film created a charming make-believe atmosphere that captivated the audience with its fantasy elements.

Synonyms

fake
vsmake-believe
833 1.8

Not real and made to look like something real

is imagined for play and not created to trick people
pretend
vsmake-believe
26 4.9

Not real and used in play

is used for playful imagined situations rather than to deceive
mock
vsmake-believe
25 4.3

Made to look or act like the real thing for practice

is playful imagination used for fun rather than exact imitation
feigned
vsmake-believe
6.8

Pretended to be true to make others believe it

is playful imagined acting rather than insincere or deceptive
pretended
vsmake-believe
4.7

Made to seem real to trick people

is only imagined for play and entertainment, not meant to deceive

Antonyms

1.0

Happening in real life, not imagined

156 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

How Imaginary

fantastical
21 8.0
imaginary
217 3.2
make-believe
3 3.7
real
1.0

Surface Forms

make-believe positive

Morphology

make-believe = make + believe (transparent) = make + believe

The adjectival sense 'pretended' is a direct adjectival use of the compound 'make-believe' and is readily inferable from its parts.

Etymology

Make-believe comes from the words make 'create' and believe 'accept as real', so it describes something 'made to seem real'. That's why a make-believe kingdom or character is pretend or imaginary.