imagination

noun

imag·i·na·tion i-ˌma-jə-ˈnā-shən

: the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality

: creative ability

: ability to confront and deal with a problem : resourcefulness

use your imagination and get us out of here

: the thinking or active mind : interest

stories that fired the imagination

: a creation of the mind

especially : an idealized or poetic creation

: fanciful or empty assumption

Example Sentences

You can find a solution if you use a little imagination. The author does not tell us what happens to the characters. We have to use our imagination. He's a competent writer, but he lacks imagination. Is it just my imagination, or is it getting warm in here?

Recent Examples on the Web Far from our cozy home in the cosmos, stars are performing violent and extreme acts almost beyond our imagination. —

Briley Lewis, Popular Science, 9 Jan. 2023 The dimension of the problem is beyond all imagination. —

Tracy Kidder, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 In the years since, the props have grown beyond imagination, spilling out of the school and into his personal life. —

Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2022 This write-up is to shed some light on the way digital experiences are evolving beyond imagination, making the most of the new dimensions of web technologies and platforms. —

Prasanna Singaraju, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022 From pythons, boa constrictors to anacondas, snakes can exceed lengths and weights beyond your wildest imagination. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2022 The robust sales for many of these books attest to the hunger among readers to hear every gobsmacking detail about a real-life character who is beyond the imagination of most fever-dreaming fiction writers. —

Bill Carter, CNN, 30 Sep. 2022 And in Bottega’s case, it is elevated beyond imagination in its exquisite craftsmanship. —

Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 26 Sep. 2022 A lot of things in my life are beyond my imagination, and one of them is owning your own house. —

Yxta Maya Murray, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymaginacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French ymaginacion, borrowed from Latin imāginātiōn-, imāginātiō, from imāginārī "to imagine" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of imagination was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Imagination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imagination. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

imagination

noun

imag·i·na·tion im-ˌaj-ə-ˈnā-shən

: the act or power of forming a mental picture of something not present and especially of something one has not known or experienced

: creative ability

: a creation of the mind

Medical Definition

imagination

noun

imag·i·na·tion im-ˌaj-ə-ˈnā-shən

: an act or process of forming a conscious idea or mental image of something never before wholly perceived in reality by the one forming the images (as through a synthesis of remembered elements of previous sensory experiences or ideas as modified by unconscious defense mechanisms)

also : the ability or gift of forming such conscious ideas or mental images especially for the purposes of artistic or intellectual creation