figment

F4I1G2M3E1N1T1
US, UK/ˈfɪɡ.mənt/

noun

A fabrication, fantasy, invention; something fictitious.

“a figment of one's imagination”

Meanings

nounfigment (plural figments)

plural figments

  1. A fabrication, fantasy, invention; something fictitious.

    a figment of one's imagination

    3 more examples

    He had not seen sarcomeres: these segments were a figment of his imagination.

    1989 (Sep 30), R. McNeill Alexander, "Biomechanics in the days before Newton", New Scientist volume 123, No. 1684, page 59

    Perhaps, dear reader, you are only a figment in the dream of some god, as Sherlock Holmes was a figment in the mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    1999, Martin Gardner, The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener, page 12

    Jung's implication here is clearly that one should try to forget that this is only a figment or fantasy, merely make-believe—or perhaps that one should forget the “only,” the “merely”—and indeed take the fantasy seriously as a reality.

    2004, Daniel C. Noel, In a Wayward Mood: Selected Writings 1969-2002, page 256
  2. obsoleteAn item which has been crafted.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Late Latinfigmentum“anything made, a fiction”
  2. Englishfigment

From Late Latin figmentum (“anything made, a fiction”), from fingō (“make, form, feign”); see fiction, feign, feint.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πλάσμα
  • πλάσμα (plásma)fabrication, fantasy, invention
Bulgarian измислица
  • измислица (izmislica)fabrication, fantasy, invention
Catalan quimera, fantasia
  • quimerafabrication, fantasy, invention
  • fantasiafabrication, fantasy, invention
  • inventfabrication, fantasy, invention
Dutch verzinsel, droom
  • verzinselfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • droomfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • bedenkselfabrication, fantasy, invention
Finnish kuvitelma
  • kuvitelmafabrication, fantasy, invention
French chimère, illusion
  • chimèrefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • illusionfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • vaticinationfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • vue de l'espritfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • déconnagefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • fictionfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • utopiefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • divagationfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • rêvefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • rêvasseriefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • fantasmagoriefabrication, fantasy, invention
  • romanfabrication, fantasy, invention
German Hirngespinst, Fantasieprodukt
  • Hirngespinstfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • Fantasieproduktfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • Erfindungfabrication, fantasy, invention
Greek αποκύημα
  • αποκύημα (apokýima)fabrication, fantasy, invention
Hungarian szülött, kitaláció
  • szülöttfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • kitalációfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • koholmányfabrication, fantasy, invention
Russian вы́думка, вы́мысел
  • вы́думка (výdumka)fabrication, fantasy, invention
  • вы́мысел (výmysel)fabrication, fantasy, invention
  • до́мысел (dómysel)fabrication, fantasy, invention
  • ложь (ložʹ)fabrication, fantasy, invention
  • фи́кция (fíkcija)fabrication, fantasy, invention
  • плод фантазииfabrication, fantasy, invention
Spanish quimera, espejismo
  • quimerafabrication, fantasy, invention
  • espejismofabrication, fantasy, invention
  • ensueñofabrication, fantasy, invention
  • ficciónfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • productofabrication, fantasy, invention
  • ilusiónfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • inventofabrication, fantasy, invention
  • hircocervofabrication, fantasy, invention
  • supercheríafabrication, fantasy, invention
  • abulenciafabrication, fantasy, invention
Swedish påfund, påhitt
  • påfundfabrication, fantasy, invention
  • påhittfabrication, fantasy, invention
Cite this entry
APA

figment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment

MLA

“figment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “figment,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment.

Source: figment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.