imaginative

adjective

imag·​i·​na·​tive i-'ma-jə-nə-tiv 

i-ˈmaj-nə-tiv;

-ˈma-jə-ˌnā-

1

a

: of, relating to, or characterized by imagination

b

: devoid of truth : false

2

: given to imagining : having a lively imagination

3

: of or relating to images

especially : showing a command of imagery

imaginatively adverb

imaginativeness noun

Synonyms

• inventive
• creative
• innovative
• talented
• innovational

Examples of imaginative in a Sentence

She wrote an imaginative story about life on the planet Venus.

The restaurant's menu is quite imaginative.

Recent Examples on the Web

An imaginative builder can put the stones together in all sorts of combinations. —Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2025

Verne’s imaginative fiction has inspired more and less faithful screen adaptations since the days of silent movies. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025

Carter and Air Mail crafted the idea for the prize, which will be awarded to one fiction writer and one nonfiction scribe whose work embodies Wolfe’s imaginative, precise and literary elan. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025

Read: Ukraine’s warning to the world’s other military forces In each case, a resourceful, determined, and imaginative state used new technologies and data to do what was hitherto deemed impossible. —Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymaginatif "employing mental images, curious, inventive," borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, "of the imagination, having a strong imagination, shrewd," borrowed from Medieval Latin imāginātīvus "of the imagination," from Latin imāginātus, past participle of imāginārī "to imagine" + -īvus -ive

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

imaginative

adjective

imag·​i·​na·​tive im-ˈaj-(ə-)nət-iv 

-ˈaj-ə-ˌnāt-

1

: of, relating to, or showing imagination

2

: having a lively imagination

imaginatively adverb

imaginativeness noun