Meanings
plural figments
- 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 59Perhaps, 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 12Jung'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 - obsoleteAn item which has been crafted.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Late Latinfigmentum“anything made, a fiction”
- Englishfigment
From Late Latin figmentum (“anything made, a fiction”), from fingō (“make, form, feign”); see fiction, feign, feint.
More words from Late Latin
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
figment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment
“figment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “figment,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/figment.
Source: figment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.