imagination
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the 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.
Simple“The book was so descriptive that it really captured my imagination.”
In context“A child's imagination can transform a simple cardboard box into a sophisticated spacecraft or a medieval fortress within seconds.”
Usageuncountable in this general sense
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the ability to think of new and interesting ideas.
creative resourcefulness or the capacity for inventive thought.
Simple“The architect showed great imagination in her design for the new library.”
In context“Solving the energy crisis will require a combination of rigorous scientific data and bold political imagination.”
SynonymsAntonymsunimaginativeness - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
something 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.
Simple“There is no ghost in the attic; it is just your imagination.”
In context“The patient's fears were dismissed as mere imagination until physical evidence of the condition finally emerged.”
Usageoften used with 'only' or 'just'
“He grew up only 10 blocks from the American Museum of Natural History, where a frightening skull display first captured his imagination.”
“At Cambridge, he learned that the Latin word historia can be translated as either “history” or “story.” “That means evidence and imagination intermingled,” he says.”
From Middle English ymaginacioun, from Old French imaginacion, ymaginacion, from Latin imāginātiō. Equivalent to imagine + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.