figment

noun

fig·​ment ˈfig-mənt 

: something made up or contrived

Did you know?

A figment is something formed from imaginary elements. Daydreams are figments; nightmares are figments that can seem very real. Most figments are everyday fears and hopes about small things that turn out to be imaginary. But when the radio play "The War of the Worlds" aired in 1938, it caused a panic among thousands of people who didn't realize the Martian invasion was just a figment of the author's imagination.

Synonyms of figment

• illusion
• dream
• fantasy
• daydream
• vision
• delusion
• hallucination

Examples of figment in a Sentence

unable to find any tracks in the snow the next morning, I was forced to conclude that the shadowy figure had been a figment of my imagination

thus far, the invisible human being has been nothing more than a figment of fantasy writers

Recent Examples on the Web

Soon, though, her world is turned upside down by an unsettling and persistent stalker — or just a figment of her own fracturing psyche. —Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025

Well, here’s something that won’t turn out to be a figment of your imagination: This is the year the curse of ‘Purple shirt guy’ is broken. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025

In the show, it is revealed that Slater's character is actually a figment of Elliot's imagination, and is his deceased father. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025

So this character is a figment of some cis man's imagination. —Marley Gotterer, Them., 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "fable, deceitful practice," borrowed from Latin figmentum "thing formed, image, invention," from fig-, variant stem of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -mentum -ment — more at feign

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing figment

• a figment of one's imagination
• figment of your imagination

Rhymes for figment

• pigment

Kids Definition

figment

noun

fig·​ment ˈfig-mənt 

: something imagined or made up