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

• clever
• creative
• ingenious
• innovational
• innovative
• innovatory
• inventive
• original
• originative
• Promethean

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

To promote this vision, Chen Li’s team organized a physical album photo event, encouraging recipients of the CD to unleash their creativity and share imaginative photos with one another. —Billboard China, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024

This coming slew of treatments will be notable not only for their imaginative delivery methods, but for their target audience: men. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024

The imaginative approach of gin distillers isn’t new: Indeed, fruit gins are mentioned in The Distiller of London, published as early as 1639. —Eve Thomas, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024

The Taming of the Shrew adaptation was equal parts imaginative and faithful—including its lively, of-the-times fashion. 10 Things’ costuming helps to illustrate the divide between the central sisters: Stiles’s mercurial Kat and Oleynik’s bubbly Bianca Stratford. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2024

All these ingredients create the atmosphere for Andre and his cohort to perform his free-wheeling and imaginative album. —Anthony Bryant, Essence, 28 Mar. 2024

Their creations not only went down in the fashion annals but also spurred what has become an enduring and imaginative facet of the industry: artist collaborations. —The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024

For those of us who aren’t as imaginative, the best way to achieve that is to invite people into your setting, and a game is a way of doing that. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

Mutu was born in Kenya and now lives in America; her piece is fantasy and history intertwined, an imaginative reframing of travel across the Atlantic. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

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