Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting, or things that you have not experienced.
Antonia is a woman with a vivid imagination.
Alistair had a logical mind, and little imagination.
The Government approach displays a lack of imagination.
Synonyms: creativity, vision, invention, ingenuity More Synonyms of imagination
2. countable noun
Your imagination is the part of your mind which allows you to form pictures or ideas of things thatdo not necessarily exist in real life.
Long before I ever went there, Africa was alive in my imagination.
Synonyms: mind's eye, fancy [old-fashioned, literary] More Synonyms of imagination
3.
See capture/catch sb's imagination
4.
See stretch one's imagination
5. not by any stretch of the imagination
More Synonyms of imagination
imagination in British English
(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 (sense 9)
Derived forms
imaginational (imˌagiˈnational)
adjective
imagination in American English
(ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən)
noun
1.
a.
the act or power of forming mental images of what is not actually present
b.
the act or power of creating mental images of what has never been actually experienced, or of creating new images or ideas by combining previous experiences; creative power
2.
anything imagined; mental image; creation of the mind; fancy
3.
a foolish notion; empty fancy
4.
the ability to understand and appreciate imaginative creations of others, esp. works of art and literature
5.
resourcefulness in dealing with new or unusual experiences
6. Obsolete
an evil plan or scheme
Word origin
ME ymaginacioun < OFr imagination < L imaginatio < pp. of imaginari: see imagine
COBUILD Collocations
imagination
artistic imagination
defy imagination
fertile imagination
fire the imagination
lack imagination
popular imagination
public imagination
stir the imagination
vivid imagination
wild imagination
Examples of 'imagination' in a sentence
imagination
In some ways it has more opportunity to capture the imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
England also lacked urgency and imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Friday night will capture the imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Not because he lacks imagination and isn't sure what else he might do with his time.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It's the sort of game that captures the imagination.
The Sun (2016)
I have a vivid imagination and still worry about what he might do to me.
The Sun (2016)
But they must know there is huge interest in their romance and that it has captured people's imagination.
The Sun (2016)
The timbre of his strong, expressive voice and the poetry of his lyrics captured the imagination of a generation.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
For such an unlikely spectator sport, chess has a singular power to capture the imagination of a global audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The problem isn't just cash, but lack of imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your problem is a lack of imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You are thinking faster and smarter now your mind and your imagination are working well.
The Sun (2009)
This masterpiece is all about the reality of awakening the creative imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She is writing a book on the impact of film on the literary imagination.
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
The idea of doing the same for humans has captured the popular imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Everything plays a part in my imagination!
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Your imagination for romantic gestures is second to none.
The Sun (2016)
The sculptor held the condescending and false view that the imagination was only active in art.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The people who write these things must have vivid imaginations.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Shame on them for such a lack of imagination.
The Sun (2014)
We have to put our eyes and our minds and imaginations into play.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They are also great with new technology and have creative imaginations.
The Sun (2013)
Neither do the procedures much resemble the torments of popular imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Does that show a lack of imagination on their part?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The downside of such a vivid imagination is that the negatives can get very powerful as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They have a kind of iconic catch on our imaginations because they are high and then brought low.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is a flaw in the romantic imagination of those who find it difficult to cope with the present.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Tonight, how men and women experience films differently and why monster stories capture the imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These are creatures that have flexible thinking, imagination and the ability to pass on information.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The Tiger loves to get involved in anything that catches his imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The Wisconsin wood cabin captured the imagination to the extent that the story overwhelmed the music.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Leadership requires intelligence, in the sense of imagination and an ability to read people.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The literary imagination is not always best exercised on what is fantastic or fanciful or far-fetched.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The legend of Atlantis has captured the imagination of scholars for centuries.
The Sun (2009)
I have an active imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Quotations
The Possible's slow fuse is lit By the ImaginationEmily Dickinson
People can die of mere imaginationGeoffrey ChaucerThe Miller's Tale
Nature uses imagination to lift her work of creation to even higher levelsLuigi PirandelloSix Characters in Search of an Author
I have imagination, and nothing that is real is alien to meGeorge SantayanaLittle Essays
Only in men's imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of lifeJoseph ConradA Personal Record
My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from itUrsula Le GuinWinged: the Creatures on My Mind
Imagination, the supreme delight of the immortal and the immature, should be limited. In order to enjoy life, we should not enjoy it too muchVladimir NabokovSpeak, Memory
Imagination, that dost so abstract us That we are not aware, not even when A thousand trumpets sound about our ears!DanteDivine Comedy
Where there is no imagination there is no horrorSir Arthur Conan DoyleA Study in Scarlet
His imagination resembled the wings of an ostrich. It enabled him to run, though not to soarLord MacaulayMiscellaneous Writings
In other languages
imagination
British English: imagination /ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən/ NOUN
Your imagination is your ability to form pictures or ideas in your mind of new, exciting, or imaginary things.
He has a vivid imagination.
American English: imagination
Arabic: خَيَالٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: imaginação
Chinese: 想象力
Croatian: mašta
Czech: představivost
Danish: fantasi
Dutch: verbeelding
European Spanish: imaginación
Finnish: mielikuvitus
French: imagination
German: Phantasie
Greek: φαντασία
Italian: immaginazione
Japanese: 想像
Korean: 상상
Norwegian: fantasi
Polish: wyobraźnia
European Portuguese: imaginação
Romanian: imaginație
Russian: воображение
Latin American Spanish: imaginación
Swedish: fantasi
Thai: จินตนาการ
Turkish: hayal
Ukrainian: уява
Vietnamese: trí tưởng tượng
All related terms of 'imagination'
defy imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
lack imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced .
public imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
vivid imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
wild imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
artistic imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
fertile imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced .
popular imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
fire the imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
stir the imagination
Your imagination is the part of your mind which allows you to form pictures or ideas of things that do not necessarily exist in real life.
stretch one's imagination
If you say that something stretches your imagination , you mean that it is good because it makes you think about things that you had not thought about before.
capture/catch sb's imagination
If you say that someone or something captured your imagination , you mean that you thought they were interesting or exciting when you saw them or heard them for the first time.
figment of sb's imagination
If you say that something is a figment of someone's imagination , you mean that it does not really exist and that they are just imagining it.
by any stretch of the imagination not by any stretch of the imagination
If you say that something is not true or possible by any stretch of the imagination , you are emphasizing that it is completely untrue or absolutely impossible .
by any stretch of the imagination/by no stretch of the imagination not by any stretch of the imagination
If you say that something is not true or possible by any stretch of the imagination , you are emphasizing that it is completely untrue or absolutely impossible .
Chinese translation of 'imagination'
imagination
(ɪmædʒɪˈneɪʃən)
n
(c/u)想象力 (xiǎngxiànglì) (种(種), zhǒng)
(c) (= mind's eye) 想象 (xiǎngxiàng) (个(個), gè)
a lack of imagination缺乏想象力 (quēfá xiǎngxiànglì)
it's just your imagination只是你的想象而已 (zhǐshì nǐ de xiǎngxiàng éryǐ)
American art reached a peak of creativity in the 50's and 60's.
vision
The government's lack of vision could have profound economic consequences.
invention
powers of invention and mathematical ability
ingenuity
This task is difficult and may require some ingenuity.
enterprise
His trouble is that he lacks enterprise.
insight
inspiration
A good way of getting inspiration is by looking at others' work.
wit
The information is there for anyone with the wit to use it.
originality
the startling originality of his writing
inventiveness
He has surprised us before with his inventiveness.
resourcefulness
2 (noun)
Definition
the faculty or action of producing mental images of what is not present or in one's experience
Long before I went there, the place was alive in my imagination.
Synonyms
mind's eye
fancy (old-fashioned, literary)
3 (noun)
Italian football captured the imagination of the nation last season.
Synonyms
interest
They will follow the political crisis with interest.
attention
curiosity
Mr Lim was a constant source of curiosity to his neighbours.
fascination
I've had a lifelong fascination with the sea.
4 (noun)
Synonyms
unreality
idea
Some of his ideas about democracy are entirely his own.
image
The words `Côte d'Azur' conjure up images of sun, sea and sand.
notion
the notion that musical ability is present from birth
He has a realistic notion of his capabilities.
illusion
invention
conception
The symphony is admirable in its conception.
supposition
There's a popular supposition that we're publicly funded.
chimera
ideality
Quotations
The Possible's slow fuse is lit By the Imagination [Emily Dickinson]People can die of mere imagination [Geoffrey Chaucer – The Miller's Tale]Nature uses imagination to lift her work of creation to even higher levels [Luigi Pirandello – Six Characters in Search of an Author]I have imagination, and nothing that is real is alien to me [George Santayana – Little Essays]Only in men's imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life [Joseph Conrad – A Personal Record]My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it [Ursula Le Guin – Winged: the Creatures on My Mind]Imagination, the supreme delight of the immortal and the immature, should be limited. In order to enjoy life, we should not enjoy it too much [Vladimir Nabokov – Speak, Memory]Imagination, that dost so abstract us That we are not aware, not even when A thousand trumpets sound about our ears! [Dante – Divine Comedy]Where there is no imagination there is no horror [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – A Study in Scarlet]His imagination resembled the wings of an ostrich. It enabled him to run, though not to soar [Lord Macaulay – Miscellaneous Writings]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of conception
Definition
a notion, idea, or plan
The symphony is admirable in its conception.
Synonyms
idea,
plan,
design,
image,
concept,
notion
in the sense of curiosity
Definition
eagerness to know or find out
Mr Lim was a constant source of curiosity to his neighbours.