chimera

noun/kɪˈmɪrə/

Frequency rank: #14,983 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

Something that is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve; also, a mythological fire-breathing monster.

Illustration for the English word “chimera”

Example sentence

The scientist warned that the perfect cure might be nothing more than the chimera researchers have been chasing for decades.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 14,901–15,000