What does imagination mean?
Definitions for imagination
ɪˌmædʒ əˈneɪ ʃənimag·i·na·tion
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word imagination.
Princeton's WordNet
imagination, imaginativeness, visionnoun
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
"popular imagination created a world of demons"; "imagination reveals what the world could be"
imagination, imaging, imagery, mental imagerynoun
the ability to form mental images of things or events
"he could still hear her in his imagination"
resource, resourcefulness, imaginationnoun
the ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems
"a man of resource"
Wiktionary
imaginationnoun
The image-making power of the mind; the act of creating or reproducing ideally an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
Imagination is one of the most advanced human faculties.
imaginationnoun
Particularly, construction of false images; fantasizing.
You think someone's been following you? That's just your imagination.
imaginationnoun
Creativity; resourcefulness.
His imagination makes him a valuable team member.
imaginationnoun
A mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; a conception; a notion; an imagining; something imagined.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Imaginationnoun
Etymology: imaginatio, Latin; imagination, French, from imagine.
Imagination I understand to be the representation of an individual thought. Imagination is of three kinds: joined with belief of that which is to come; joined with memory of that which is past; and of things present, or as if they were present: for I comprehend in this imagination feigned and at pleasure, as if one should imagine such a man to be in the vestments of a pope, or to have wings. Francis Bacon.
Our simple apprehension of corporal objects, if present, is sense; if absent, imagination: when we would perceive a material object, our fancies present us with its idea. Joseph Glanvill, Sceps.
O whither shall I run, or which way fly
The sight of this so horrid spectacle,
Which erst my eyes beheld, and yet behold!
For dire imagination still pursues me. John Milton, Agonistes.His imaginations were often as just as they were bold and strong. John Dennis.
Where beams of warm imagination play,
The memory's soft figures melt away. Alexander Pope.Sometimes despair darkens all her imaginations; sometimes the active passion of love cheers and clears her invention. Philip Sidney.
Princes have but their titles for their glories,
An outward honour for an inward toil;
And, for unfelt imaginations,
They often feel a world of restless cares. William Shakespeare, R. III.Better I were distract,
So should my thoughts be sever'd from my griefs;
And woes, by wrong imaginations, lose
The knowledge of themselves. William Shakespeare, King Lear.We are apt to think that space, in itself, is actually boundless; to which imagination, the idea of space, of itself leads us. John Locke.
Thou hast seen all their vengeance, and all their imaginations against me. Lam. iii. 60.
Wikipedia
Imagination
Imagination is the ability to produce and simulate novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. It is also described as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations of past experiences such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or they can be completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process. A basic training for imagination is listening to storytelling (narrative), in which the exactness of the chosen words is the fundamental factor to "evoke worlds".Imagination is a cognitive process used in mental functioning and sometimes used in conjunction with psychological imagery. It is considered as such because it involves thinking about possibilities. The cognate term of mental imagery may be used in psychology for denoting the process of reviving in the mind recollections of objects formerly given in sense perception. Since this use of the term conflicts with that of ordinary language, some psychologists have preferred to describe this process as "imaging" or "imagery" or to speak of it as "reproductive" as opposed to "productive" or "constructive" imagination. Constructive imagination is further divided into voluntary imagination driven by the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and involuntary imagination (LPFC-independent), such as REM-sleep dreaming, daydreaming, hallucinations, and spontaneous insight. The voluntary types of imagination include integration of modifiers, and mental rotation. Imagined images, both novel and recalled, are seen with the "mind's eye". Imagination, however, is not considered to be exclusively a cognitive activity because it is also linked to the body and place, particularly that it also involves setting up relationships with materials and people, precluding the sense that imagination is locked away in the head.Imagination can also be expressed through stories such as fairy tales or fantasies. Children often use such narratives and pretend play in order to exercise their imaginations. When children develop fantasy they play at two levels: first, they use role playing to act out what they have developed with their imagination, and at the second level they play again with their make-believe situation by acting as if what they have developed is an actual reality.
ChatGPT
imagination
Imagination refers to the ability to create or form mental images, ideas, concepts, or scenarios that are not currently perceived through sensory stimuli. It is a cognitive process through which individuals can envision, invent, or construct new possibilities, visualizations, or experiences in their mind's eye. Imagination enables individuals to transcend the present reality and engage in creative thinking, problem-solving, and the exploration of hypothetical or fictional situations. It plays a crucial role in artistic expressions, storytelling, innovation, and the development of abstract concepts and ideas.
Webster Dictionary
Imaginationnoun
the imagine-making power of the mind; the power to create or reproduce ideally an object of sense previously perceived; the power to call up mental imagines
Imaginationnoun
the representative power; the power to reconstruct or recombine the materials furnished by direct apprehension; the complex faculty usually termed the plastic or creative power; the fancy
Imaginationnoun
the power to recombine the materials furnished by experience or memory, for the accomplishment of an elevated purpose; the power of conceiving and expressing the ideal
Imaginationnoun
a mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; a conception; a notion
Wikidata
Imagination
Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability to form new images and sensations that are not perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process A basic training for imagination is listening to storytelling, in which the exactness of the chosen words is the fundamental factor to "evoke worlds". It is a whole cycle of image formation or any sensation which may be described as "hidden" as it takes place without anyone else's knowledge. A person may imagine according to his mood, it may be good or bad depending on the situation. Some people imagine in a state of tension or gloominess in order to calm themselves. It is accepted as the innate ability and process of inventing partial or complete personal realms within the mind from elements derived from sense perceptions of the shared world. The term is technically used in psychology for the process of reviving in the mind, percepts of objects formerly given in sense perception. Since this use of the term conflicts with that of ordinary language, some psychologists have preferred to describe this process as "imaging" or "imagery" or to speak of it as "reproductive" as opposed to "productive" or "constructive" imagination. Imagined images are seen with the "mind's eye".
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
Imagination
the name appropriate to the highest faculty of man, and defined by Ruskin as "mental creation," in the exercise of which the human being discharges his highest function as a responsible being, "the defect of which on common minds it is the main use," says Ruskin, "of works of fiction, and of the drama, as far as possible, to supply."
The Roycroft Dictionary
imagination
1. A marvelous little multicolored drugget that covers the rough and splintered floor of reality. 2. A haunted chateau. 3. A vestibule between Time and Eternity. 4. The giant enemy of reality. 5. The red Pantheon of Lucifer. 6. The candle-gleam of science; the flambeau of the lover; the constellated nebulæ of the poet. 7. The glittering west-dust of a hidden innominate sun. 8. The seigniory of untrammeled instincts; the fief of unsanctified dreams; the palfrey that carries us toward nebulous spiritual hills. 9. The plasma of gods. 10. Puck strapped to the back of Balaam's ass. 11. The Shakespeare of mental faculties. 12. The avatar of the emotions. 13. A golden key that unlocks the bastile of logic. 14. A ladder to the fourth dimension. 15. A sublime liar. 16. Taking the halter off your thoughts and giving them a good kick behind. 17. Sympathy illumined by brains.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Imagination
A new pattern of perceptual or ideational material derived from past experience.
Editors Contribution
imaginationnoun
An assimilated instant message before the general antigen expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be used in speech to indicate a sign of action or condition. 1.) The part of the mind that imagines things forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses until the physics is activated.
Imagination is the thoughts within our heart that we project through the mind.
Etymology: Activation
Submitted by Tehorah_Elyon on December 5, 2023
imagination
To use our mind to create an idea or form a concept.
Imagination is an amazing tool to create such joy in the world.
Submitted by MaryC on January 16, 2020
Suggested Resources
imagination
Song lyrics by imagination -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by imagination on the Lyrics.com website.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'imagination' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3610
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'imagination' in Nouns Frequency: #1463
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of imagination in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of imagination in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4
Examples of imagination in a Sentence
The Islamic state is a figment of their imagination. They are just going into your house and saying they have taken over.
The thirst for adventure is the vent which Destiny offers a war, a crusade, a gold mine, a new country, speak to the imagination and offer swing and play to the confined powers.
Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.
And I ’m not an entrepreneur, but I have great respect for them, it seems to me that the core issue is a lack of imagination and a lack of asking, ‘ What can we all do ? ’ If we go back to the John F. Kennedy quotes, ‘ What can you do for your country ? ’.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for imagination
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- خيال, صورة ذهنيةArabic
- কল্পনাBengali
- imaginacióCatalan, Valencian
- představivostCzech
- Vorstellung, Vorstellungskraft, Imagination, Fantasie, Einbildung, EinbildungskraftGerman
- φαντασία, φαντασίωσηGreek
- imagoEsperanto
- imaginaciónSpanish
- mielikuva, mielikuvitusFinnish
- imaginationFrench
- mac-meanmnaScottish Gaelic
- דמיוןHebrew
- képzeletHungarian
- ímyndun, ímyndunaraflIcelandic
- immaginazioneItalian
- 想像力, 空想, 想像Japanese
- 상상, 상상력Korean
- خهیاڵKurdish
- imagination, opinioLatin
- imaginasiMalay
- verbeeldingDutch
- fantasiNorwegian
- wyobrażenie, urojenie, wyobraźniaPolish
- imaginaçãoPortuguese
- imagine, închipuire, forță de imaginare, fantezie, imaginare, imaginație, iluzionareRomanian
- воображениеRussian
- maštaSerbo-Croatian
- domišljijaSlovene
- inbillning, fantasiSwedish
- ubunifuSwahili
- கற்பனைTamil
- imahinasyon, harayaTagalog
- hayal gücüTurkish
- 想像力Chinese
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