imaginary

[ ih-maj-uh-ner-ee ]

adjective

1. existing only in the imagination or fancy; not real; fancied:

   an imaginary illness; the imaginary animals in the stories of Dr. Seuss.

   Synonyms: illusory, baseless, chimerical, shadowy, visionary, fanciful

   Antonyms: real

noun

, plural im·ag·i·nar·ies.

1. Mathematics. imaginary number.

imaginary

/ -dʒɪnrɪ; ɪˈmædʒɪnərɪ /

adjective

1. existing in the imagination; unreal; illusory
2. maths involving or containing imaginary numbers. The imaginary part of a complex number, z, is usually written Im z

Derived Forms

• imˈaginariness, noun
• imˈaginarily, adverb

Other Words From

• im·agi·nari·ly adverb
• im·agi·nari·ness noun
• nonim·agi·nari·ly adverb
• nonim·agi·nari·ly·ness noun
• nonim·agi·nari·ness noun
• nonim·agi·nary adjective
• preim·agi·nary adjective
• unim·agi·nary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of imaginary¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin imāginārius, equivalent to imāgin-, (stem of imāgō ) image + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

John Krasinski’s imaginary friends movie ‘IF’ claimed the top spot at the box office this weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times

Safety Derwin James Jr. escorted the rookie cornerback straight to the end zone to celebrate, fixing an imaginary crown to Still’s head.

From Los Angeles Times

After beating Junior, Riley celebrated by placing an imaginary phone to his ear, before asking UFC president Dana White to "call him".

From BBC

Oh, look — it’s an apology!” he continues, flipping through an imaginary script.

From Los Angeles Times

To see young fans twirling imaginary moustaches as he walked off the field showed just what a character he is.

From BBC

Related Words

• abstract
• fanciful
• fantastic
• fictional
• hypothetical
• imagined
• theoretical
• unreal
• whimsical