a. Forms: 7 chymærical, chymerical(l, 7–8 chimærical(l, 7– chimerical. [f. as prec. + -AL.]
1. Of the nature of a chimera; vainly or fantastically conceived, imaginary, fanciful, visionary.
1638. Featly, Strict. Lyndom., II. 9. The fire … of Purgatory is rightly termed … chymericall, because a meere fiction.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 69, ¶ 1. He can … distinguish between Chimærical and Practical Politicks.
1763. Johnson, in Boswell, xv. Sir, this book … is a pretty essay … though much of it is chimerical.
1878. Bosw. Smith, Carthage, 178. The distant and chimerical projects of Hamilcar.
2. Prone to entertain chimeras; filled with idle fancies and wild dreams; whimsical, fanciful.
1660. Charac. Italy, 10. Hammer’d in the impure mint of his own Chymærical Pericranium.
1718. Freethinker, No. 95. 287. She is somewhat too scrupulous, if not a little chimerical.
1854. A. R. Scoble, trans. Guizot’s Oliver Cromwell, I. 4. The most chimerical of the non-military republicans.
Hence Chimerically adv., in a chimerical way, ‘vainly, wildly, fantastically,’ in Bailey (fol.) 1731–6, Johnson, and mod. Dicts.; Chimericalness rare–0, chimerical quality, ‘imaginariness, whimsicalness’ (Bailey (fol.) 1731–6.)
