envisage

verb

en·​vis·​age in-ˈvi-zij 

en-

envisaged; envisaging

transitive verb

1

: to view or regard in a certain way

envisages the slum as a hotbed of crime

2

: to have a mental picture of especially in advance of realization

envisages an entirely new system of education

Did you know?

Envisage this: a word is borrowed from French in the mid-17th century and sticks around to be used in the 21st. It’s not hard to picture; envisage is not alone in this accomplishment. Used today to mean “to have a mental picture of something, especially in advance of realization” and “to view or regard something in a certain way,” envisage for a time could also mean “to confront or face someone.” That use, which is now archaic, nods to the word’s origin: we borrowed envisage from French, but the visage part is from Anglo-French vis, meaning “face.” (It reaches back ultimately to Greek idein, “to see.”) Visage is of course also an English word. It entered English much earlier, in the 14th century, and is typically used today in literary contexts to refer to a person’s face. Envisage isn’t necessarily restricted to literary contexts, but it does have a formal tone. Its near twin envision (“to picture to oneself”), which has been with us since the 19th century, is interchangeable with envisage in many contexts and is somewhat less formal.

Synonyms

• imagine
• envision
• see

Choose the Right Synonym for envisage

think, conceive, imagine, fancy, realize, envisage, envision mean to form an idea of.

think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation

envisioned a cure for the disease

Examples of envisage in a Sentence

I envisage a day when proper health care will be available to everyone.

I'm trying to envisage you on a surfboard.

Recent Examples on the Web

The plan would envisage the construction of larger capital ships between 15,000–20,000 tons. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025

In a language of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels envisaged elaborate, futuristic pieces that contributed greatly to what is known as Roaring ’20s style. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025

With some footage shot in LA, but the move delayed, and then Ozzy passing away, the show as originally envisaged was not possible. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025

O'Neill envisaged that each cylinder could be split into six sections, three window sections with inhabited valleys between them, topped off with hemispherical end caps. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French envisager, from en- + visage face

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for envisage

• visage

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Kids Definition

envisage

verb

en·​vis·​age in-ˈviz-ij 

envisaged; envisaging

: to have a mental picture of : visualize