Meaning of imagination in English

Table of contents

Noun
imagination
Etymology
Middle English: via Old French from Latin imaginatio(n-), from the verb imaginari‘picture to oneself’, from imago, imagin-‘image’
Definitions
1. the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
Examples
- « popular imagination created a world of demons »
- « imagination reveals what the world could be »
Derived terms
2. the ability to form mental images of things or events
Examples
- « he could still hear her in his imagination »
Derived terms
3. the ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems
Examples
- « a man of resource »

Famous quotes

« I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive. »
Man Ray
« My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool it gives me all the world, and exiles me from it. »
Ursula K. Le Guin
« The desire to live in our imagination is driven by this suspicion that we're disembodied sensibilities cobbled into our bodies. That idea has infused most of human thought since the very beginning. »
Richard Powers
« It was just very interesting to me that certain types of women inspire people's imagination, and all of them were very difficult women. »
Elizabeth Wurtzel
« You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization. »
Denis Waitley