Meanings
comparative more imaginative · superlative most imaginative
- Having a lively or creative imagination.
an imaginative boy
1 more example
No doubt kibitzers are highly imaginative. How else could they see wins and brilliant combinations that do not exist?
1951 December, Helen Weissenstein, “Readers' Forum”, in Chess Review - Tending to be fanciful or inventive.
an imaginative story
1 more example
From this point of view all philosophy is idealism, an imaginative embellishment of scientific knowledge; and, sure enough, Engels prophesies the decline and extinction of philosophy.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 379
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(used of persons or artifacts) marked by independence and creativity in thought or action
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinimāginātīvus
- Middle Frenchimaginatif
- Middle Englishymagynatif
- Englishimaginative
From Middle English ymagynatif, from Middle French imaginatif, from Medieval Latin imāginātīvus. By surface analysis, imagine + -ative.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek εὐφάνταστος
- εὐφάνταστος (euphántastos)having a lively imagination
Arabic خيالي
- خياليtending to be fanciful
Catalan imaginatiu, imaginatiu
- imaginatiuhaving a lively imagination
- imaginatiutending to be fanciful
Chinese Mandarin 富有想像力的, 充滿創意的 /充满创意的
- 富有想像力的 (fùyǒu xiǎngxiànglì de)having a lively imagination
- 充滿創意的 /充满创意的 (chōngmǎn chuàngyì de)having a lively imagination
- 想像力豐富的 /想像力丰富的 (xiǎngxiànglì fēngfù de)having a lively imagination
- 充滿想像力的 /充满想像力的 (chōngmǎn xiǎngxiànglì de)tending to be fanciful
- 傾向幻想的 /倾向幻想的 (qīngxiàng huànxiǎng de)tending to be fanciful
- 富創意的 /富创意的 (fù chuàngyì de)tending to be fanciful
- 虛假的 /虚假的 (xūjiǎ de)false or imagined
- 虛構的 /虚构的 (xūgòu de)false or imagined
- 想像的 (xiǎngxiàng de)false or imagined
Finnish kekseliäs, mielikuvituksellinen
- kekseliäshaving a lively imagination
- mielikuvituksellinenhaving a lively imagination
- mielikuvituksekashaving a lively imagination
- mielikuvitusrikashaving a lively imagination
- luovatending to be fanciful
- mielikuvitusrikastending to be fanciful
- keksittyfalse or imagined
- kuvitteellinenfalse or imagined
- mielikuvituksekasfalse or imagined
- kuviteltufalse or imagined
French imaginatif, imaginatif
- imaginatifhaving a lively imagination
- imaginatiftending to be fanciful
- imaginairefalse or imagined
German einfallsreich
- einfallsreichhaving a lively imagination
Greek ευφάνταστος
- ευφάνταστος (effántastos)having a lively imagination
Italian immaginoso
- immaginosohaving a lively imagination
Polish pomysłowy
- pomysłowyhaving a lively imagination
Portuguese imaginativo
- imaginativohaving a lively imagination
Russian вообража́емый, мни́мый
- вообража́емый (voobražájemyj)false or imagined
- мни́мый (mnímyj)false or imagined
- нереа́льный (nereálʹnyj)false or imagined
Scottish Gaelic mac-meanmnach, mac-meanmnach
- mac-meanmnachhaving a lively imagination
- mac-meanmnachtending to be fanciful
- mac-meanmnachfalse or imagined
Spanish imaginativo
- imaginativohaving a lively imagination
Cite this entry
imaginative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginative
“imaginative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “imaginative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imaginative.
Source: imaginative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.