Synonym Chooser

How is the word imagine distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of imagine are conceive, envisage, envision, fancy, realize, and think. While all these words mean "to form an idea of," imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

When is it sensible to use conceive instead of imagine?

While the synonyms conceive and imagine are close in meaning, conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

How do envisage and envision relate to one another, in the sense of imagine?

Both 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

When could fancy be used to replace imagine?

The words fancy and imagine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

When is realize a more appropriate choice than imagine?

The meanings of realize and imagine largely overlap; however, realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

Where would think be a reasonable alternative to imagine?

The words think and imagine can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imagine That calls for a little extra creativity from its mom — and the movie’s narrator (Emilia Clarke) — who wriggles her mandibles and gets to work embellishing upon what Dahl imagined. Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025 Here and in many of her writings Stowe imagined Christ as a mediator capable of elevating all Christians to heaven. Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025 But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025 This war has shown the world once again that violence only breeds more violence, and the task before the international community is no longer to imagine peace, but to begin the hard work of reinforcing it. Muhammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Time, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imagine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imagine
Verb
  • Niccol envisions Starbucks' app evolving to use AI that predicts and prepares orders based on customers’ location and previous ordering habits.
    Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
  • As The Rise Group looks forward, Starnes envisions a landscape in which organizations are increasingly able to balance strategic objectives with social impact.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • However, Duan cautions against thinking that AI will replace engineers.
    Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Business leaders and boosters—if not the public library’s archivist—thought rumors and legends and sub-cellars, basements, coal chutes, and other subterranean utility spaces made for a marketable product.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Frankly, there had been speculation for years, entire Reddit threads guessing about Hemsley’s sexuality.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Gosh, guess all that talk about Antifa and George Soros money is a myth.
    Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He has not been seen in public since March, but the investigation of his activities had not previously been disclosed by Chinese authorities.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
  • More than 60% of European companies cite regulation as an obstacle to investment, and most see it as their biggest challenge overall.
    Jan Hammer, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But even working with young elite athletes, Wolff believes everyone should take it a little easier on the generation.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Metcalf, however, believes that her character is only partially to blame for the serial killer's actions.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • So there’s a risk in assuming that there’s somebody guarding the gates and that the technology will only go so far.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Likewise, a detailed historical analysis by Nancy Morawetz, Professor of Clinical Law at New York University School of Law, and Natasha Fernández-Silber immigration attorney and researcher, cautions against assuming there is a comprehensive, one-size-fits-all registration system.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Park Street, pictured in this postcard from the late 1920s, was the center of activity from the beginning.
    Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Instead of picturing a style in her head or printing a 2D version for clients, Koop and other Alta users can look through lifelike representations of wardrobe pieces.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wouldn’t it be considered colonial literature instead?
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • One of two vice-chairmen of the commission, the general is the third-most powerful commander of the People’s Liberation Army and has been considered a close associate of President Xi Jinping, the army’s commander-in-chief.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Imagine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imagine. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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