Definition of ENVISAGING

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

Did You Know?

Envisage has been part of the English language since the 17th century. In the early 19th century, it was sometimes used with the now archaic sense of "to meet squarely" or "to confront." By 1837, the word had developed the sense "to have a mental picture of." In the 1920s, some usage commentators began deriding envisage for reasons not entirely clear, declaring it "undesirable." Today, time and usage have won out, and envisage is widely used and accepted, though it is slightly formal in tone. The same can be said of its near twin envision ("to picture to oneself"), which has been with us since the late 19th century and is interchangeable with envisage in many contexts.

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 Mr Sánchez envisages some tax increases but also the gradual implementation of a public-spending review. — The Economist, "Spain stumbles towards a government," 18 July 2019 The body was envisaged under a power-sharing deal between the military and the protesters that sought to resolve weeks of standoff in the wake of the April ouster of Omar al-Bashir, the country’s autocratic president of 30 years. — Washington Post, "Sudan protesters, army postpone announcement on ruling body," 19 Aug. 2019 For the remainder of the week, the students assembled in design teams and envisaged their own structures for the park. — New York Times, "‘The logic of the weave’," 29 July 2019 The agreement announced on Friday in Copenhagen envisages plans for joint military exercises and training sessions for the emergency services. — Morten Buttler, Fortune, "After Rebuffing Trump, Greenland and Denmark Tighten Relationship," 23 Aug. 2019 This envisages an increase in the number of the state’s electoral constituencies on keeping with the growth in the population. — Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, "Kashmir descends into a witch’s brew of fear and suspense," 4 Aug. 2019 Cáceres said he previously was deported from the U.S. and therefore did not envisage a successful asylum application even though he was given a hearing date. — Washington Post, "800 asylum seekers returned to wait in Mexican border city," 2 Aug. 2019 But Mitski Miyawaki, who is now twenty-eight, had not envisaged a future as a musician, or much of a future at all. — Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, "On the Road with Mitski," 1 July 2019 The goal of the workshop was to envisage structures — woven from bamboo, a sustainable and local resource — to provide shade for the park, or structures that would filter sunlight through roadway apertures and onto the dark streetscape below. — New York Times, "‘The logic of the weave’," 29 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'envisage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

6 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Envisage.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/envisaging. Accessed 10 December 2019.