imagination
n.-
1 mental image-making (n.) B1 Intermediatethe ability to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are not there.
the cognitive faculty of forming mental representations of objects or events that are not currently perceived by the senses.
ExampleThe book was so descriptive that it really captured my imagination.
ExampleA child's imagination can transform a simple cardboard box into a sophisticated spacecraft or a medieval fortress within seconds.
Usageuncountable in this general sense
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2 creativity (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe ability to think of new and interesting ideas.
creative resourcefulness or the capacity for inventive thought.
ExampleThe architect showed great imagination in her design for the new library.
ExampleSolving the energy crisis will require a combination of rigorous scientific data and bold political imagination.
- creativity
- inventiveness
- originality
- unimaginativeness
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3 false belief (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatesomething that you think is real but is actually only in your mind.
the act of fantasising or the construction of false mental images, often contrasted with objective reality.
ExampleThere is no ghost in the attic; it is just your imagination.
ExampleThe patient's fears were dismissed as mere imagination until physical evidence of the condition finally emerged.
Usageoften used with 'only' or 'just'
From Middle English ymaginacioun, from Old French imaginacion, ymaginacion, from Latin imāginātiō. Equivalent to imagine + -ation.