Meanings
nounimagination (countable and uncountable, plural imaginations)
plural imaginations
- countableuncountableThe image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
Imagination is one of the most advanced human faculties.
1 more example
She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination.
1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh AbroadSynonyms: creativity, fancy, imaginativeness, invention, inventiveness
- countableuncountableParticularly, construction of false images; fantasizing.
You think someone's been following you? That's just your imagination.
- countableuncountableA mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; something imagined.
It is a pleasant imagination to conceive a spirit iustly ballanced betweene two equall desires.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 14, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC1 more example
And yet the invention of young men, is more lively than that of old; and imaginations stream into their minds better, and, as it were, more divinely.
1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Youth and Age”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLCSynonyms: conception, notion, imagining
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
nounA mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; something imagined.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
Similar
Broader
nounthe ability to form mental images of things or events
Broader
representational process
nounthe ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinimāginātiō
- Old Frenchimaginacion
- Middle Englishymaginacioun
- Englishimagination
From Middle English ymaginacioun, from Old French imaginacion, ymaginacion, from Latin imāginātiō. Equivalent to imagine + -ation.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans verbeelding, verbeelding
- verbeeldingimage-making power of the mind
- verbeeldingconstruction of false images
- verbeeldingmental image
Ancient Greek φαντασία, ἐπίνοια
- φαντασία (phantasía)image-making power of the mind
- ἐπίνοια (epínoia)image-making power of the mind
Arabic خَيَّال, تَخَيُّل
- خَيَّال (ḵayyāl)image-making power of the mind
- تَخَيُّل (taḵayyul)image-making power of the mind
- تَصَوُّر (taṣawwur)image-making power of the mind
- مُخَيَّلَة (muḵayyala)image-making power of the mind
- صُورَة ذِهْنِيَّة (ṣūra ḏihniyya)mental image
Bengali কল্পনা
- কল্পনা (kolpona)image-making power of the mind
Bulgarian въображе́ние, въображе́ние
- въображе́ние (văobražénie)image-making power of the mind
- въображе́ние (văobražénie)mental image
Catalan imaginació
- imaginacióimage-making power of the mind
Chinese Cantonese 想像力
- 想像力 (soeng² zoeng⁶ lik⁶)image-making power of the mind
Chinese Mandarin 想像力, 想像
- 想像力 (xiǎngxiànglì)image-making power of the mind
- 想像 (xiǎngxiàng)construction of false images
Czech představivost
- představivostimage-making power of the mind
Danish fantasi, forestillingsevne
- fantasiimage-making power of the mind
- forestillingsevneimage-making power of the mind
- indbildningimage-making power of the mind
Dutch verbeelding, fantasie
- verbeeldingimage-making power of the mind
- fantasieimage-making power of the mind
- verbeeldingconstruction of false images
- verbeeldingmental image
Esperanto imago
- imagoimage-making power of the mind
Estonian ettekujutus
- ettekujutusimage-making power of the mind
Finnish mielikuvitus, kuvittelu
- mielikuvitusimage-making power of the mind
- kuvitteluconstruction of false images
- mielikuvitusconstruction of false images
- mielikuvituscreativity; resourcefulness — see also creativity
- mielikuvamental image
French imagination
- imaginationimage-making power of the mind
German Vorstellungskraft, Imagination
- Vorstellungskraftimage-making power of the mind
- Imaginationimage-making power of the mind
- Einbildungskraftimage-making power of the mind
- Fantasieimage-making power of the mind
- Vorstellungmental image
- Einbildungmental image
Greek φαντασία, φαντασίωση
- φαντασία (fantasía)image-making power of the mind
- φαντασίωση (fantasíosi)mental image
Hebrew דִּמְיוֹן
- דִּמְיוֹן (dimyon)image-making power of the mind
Hindi कल्पना, तसव्वुर
- कल्पना (kalpanā)image-making power of the mind
- तसव्वुर (tasavvur)image-making power of the mind
Hungarian képzelet, képzelet
- képzeletimage-making power of the mind
- képzeletmental image
Icelandic ímyndunarafl, ímyndun
- ímyndunaraflimage-making power of the mind
- ímyndunmental image
Indonesian imajinasi, imajinasi
- imajinasiimage-making power of the mind
- imajinasiconstruction of false images
- imajinasimental image
Irish íomháineacht, íomháineacht
- íomháineachtimage-making power of the mind
- íomháineachtconstruction of false images
Italian immaginazione
- immaginazioneimage-making power of the mind
Japanese 想像力, 想像
- 想像力 (sōzōryoku)image-making power of the mind
- 想像 (sōzō)construction of false images
- 空想 (kūsō)construction of false images
- 想像 (sōzō)mental image
- 空想 (kūsō)mental image
Korean 상상력, 상상
- 상상력 (sangsangnyeok)image-making power of the mind
- 상상 (sangsang)construction of false images
Latin opinio
- opinioimage-making power of the mind
Latvian iztēle
- iztēleimage-making power of the mind
Lithuanian vaizduotė
- vaizduotėimage-making power of the mind
Malay imaginasi
- imaginasiimage-making power of the mind
Māori pohewatanga, pohewatanga
- pohewatangaimage-making power of the mind
- pohewatangamental image
Norwegian fantasi, innbilning
- fantasiimage-making power of the mind
- innbilningimage-making power of the mind
Polish fantazja, imaginacja
- fantazjaimage-making power of the mind
- imaginacjaimage-making power of the mind
- wyobraźniaimage-making power of the mind
- urojenieconstruction of false images
- wyobrażeniemental image
Portuguese imaginação, imaginação
- imaginaçãoimage-making power of the mind
- imaginaçãoconstruction of false images
- imaginaçãomental image
Romanian imaginație, fantezie
- imaginațieimage-making power of the mind
- fantezieimage-making power of the mind
- forță de imaginareimage-making power of the mind
- închipuireconstruction of false images
- imaginareconstruction of false images
- iluzionareconstruction of false images
- imaginemental image
- imaginaremental image
- închipuiremental image
Russian воображе́ние, воображе́ние
- воображе́ние (voobražénije)image-making power of the mind
- воображе́ние (voobražénije)construction of false images
- воображе́ние (voobražénije)mental image
Scottish Gaelic mac-meanmna, mac-meanmna
- mac-meanmnaimage-making power of the mind
- mac-meanmnaconstruction of false images
Slovak predstavivosť
- predstavivosťimage-making power of the mind
Spanish imaginación, magín
- imaginaciónimage-making power of the mind
- magínimage-making power of the mind
- imaginaciónmental image
Swahili ubunifu
- ubunifuimage-making power of the mind
Swedish fantasi, inbillning
- fantasiimage-making power of the mind
- inbillningimage-making power of the mind
- inbillningconstruction of false images
- fantasimental image
- inbillningmental image
Tagalog haraya, imahinasyon
- harayaimage-making power of the mind
- imahinasyonimage-making power of the mind
Tamil கற்பனை
- கற்பனை (kaṟpaṉai)image-making power of the mind
Thai จินตนาการ
- จินตนาการ (jin-dtà-naa-gaan)image-making power of the mind
Turkish hayal gücü, muhayyile
- hayal gücüimage-making power of the mind
- muhayyileimage-making power of the mind
- imgelemimage-making power of the mind
- hayalimage-making power of the mind
Ukrainian уя́ва, уя́влення
- уя́ва (ujáva)image-making power of the mind
- уя́влення (ujávlennja)image-making power of the mind
- уя́ва (ujáva)mental image
- уя́влення (ujávlennja)mental image
Urdu خَیال, تَخَیُّل
- خَیال (xayāl)image-making power of the mind
- تَخَیُّل (taxayyul)image-making power of the mind
- تَصَوُّر (tasavvur)image-making power of the mind
- مُخَیِّلَہ (muxayyila)image-making power of the mind
Vietnamese sự hình dung, sự tưởng tượng
- sự hình dungimage-making power of the mind
- sự tưởng tượngimage-making power of the mind
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with imagination
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
imagination. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imagination
MLA
“imagination.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imagination. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “imagination,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imagination.
Source: imagination on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.