English Reference

Word

imagining

Phoneticsimag·in·ing

US/ˌɪˈmædʒənɪŋ/

UK/ɪmˈædʒɪnɪŋ/

Definitions

01forming a mental image

B1

v. the action of creating a picture or idea in your mind.

v. the present participle of 'imagine', describing the process of forming a mental concept or image of something not present.

“I was imagining what it would be like to live on a tropical island.”

“The architect spent hours imagining how the natural light would interact with the glass surfaces of the new atrium throughout the day.”

Usage

often used in continuous tenses to describe an ongoing mental process.

Synonyms

visualisingpicturingdreaming

02thoughts or fantasies

B2

n. the thoughts, worries, or fantasies that someone has in their mind.

n. a mental image or a product of the imagination; often used in the plural to describe internal thoughts or suspicions.

“She tried to ignore her dark imaginings about what might go wrong.”

“The poet's private imaginings were eventually published, revealing a complex inner world that few of his contemporaries had suspected.”

Literary

Usage

frequently appears in the plural form 'imaginings'.

Antonyms

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference