imagination

[ih-maj-uh-ney-shuhn]

noun

1. the faculty of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses.

2. the action or process of forming such images or concepts.

3. the faculty of producing ideal creations consistent with reality, as in literature, as distinct from the power of creating illustrative or decorative imagery.

4. the product of imagining a conception or mental creation, often a baseless or fanciful one.

5. ability to face and resolve difficulties; resourcefulness.

   a job that requires imagination.

   Synonyms: thought, enterprise, ingenuity

6. Psychology.,  the power of reproducing images stored in the memory under the suggestion of associated images reproductive imagination or of recombining former experiences in the creation of new images directed at a specific goal or aiding in the solution of problems creative imagination.

7. (in Kantian epistemology) synthesis of data from the sensory manifold into objects by means of the categories.

8. Archaic.,  a plan, scheme, or plot.

imagination

/ ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the faculty or action of producing ideas, esp mental images of what is not present or has not been experienced

2. mental creative ability

3. the ability to deal resourcefully with unexpected or unusual problems, circumstances, etc

4. (in romantic literary criticism, esp that of S. T. Coleridge) a creative act of perception that joins passive and active elements in thinking and imposes unity on the poetic material Compare fancy

Other Word Forms

• imaginational adjective
• nonimaginational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of imagination¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin imāginātiōn- (stem of imāginātiō ) “mental image, fancy,” equivalent to imāgināt(us), past participle of the verb imāginārī imagine ( imāgin-, stem of imāgō image + -ātus -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Idioms and Phrases

see figment of one's imagination.

Synonym Study

See fancy.

Example Sentences

Together, the two figures create a cultural dialogue that is both entertaining and ethically resonant: one critiques, the other inspires, and the conversation over wealth, responsibility and giving back continues to capture the public imagination.

Read more on Salon

They call out the industry’s tired shapes, implacable business systems, and unsustainable waste, but in ways that celebrate imagination.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Every year, we're blown away by the imagination and energy of the groups who take part," he said.

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Roth’s fiction drew heavily on his own life and literary reputation in ways that blurred imagination and reality.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And if this ends up being nothing more than a figment of my imagination, where’s the harm in choosing not to question it, if it gives me something I’ve been so painfully missing.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• artistry 
• awareness 
• fancy 
• fantasy 
• idea 
• image 
• imagery 
• ingenuity 
• insight 
• inspiration 
• intelligence 
• inventiveness www.thesaurus.com
• originality 
• resourcefulness www.thesaurus.com
• thought 
• vision 
• wit