imaginative
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having or showing new and exciting ideas; being very creative.
possessing or displaying a lively and creative imagination; characterized by originality.
Simple“The chef created an imaginative menu that combined flavors from three different countries.”
In context“The architect's imaginative use of recycled glass transformed the dark industrial space into a vibrant community hub.”
PitfallHe is an imaginary writer. He is an imaginative writer.Use 'imaginative' for someone with a good imagination; 'imaginary' means something is not real, like a ghost.
- 02 C1 Advanced
describes something that is not based on facts or is purely made up.
tending toward the fanciful or fictitious; occasionally used to describe accounts that lack a basis in reality.
Simple“The witness gave an imaginative account of the event that did not match the video.”
In context“The biographer was criticized for including several imaginative passages that lacked any documentary evidence from the subject's life.”
Synonyms
“It’s sometimes fun to be imaginative, silly and uniquely yourself – and children can be true to themselves, including at school.”
“It's an imaginative solution to a national problem.”
From Middle English ymagynatif, from Middle French imaginatif, from Medieval Latin imāginātīvus. By surface analysis, imagine + -ative.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.