May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Imagine

v. hopeful, energetic warm

What it means

Meaning 1

To form a mental picture or possibility that is not immediately present.

Reach for it when inviting creative thought beyond current conditions

Imagine a town square where every route is easy to follow.

Meaning 2

To suppose that something may be true or may happen.

Reach for it when introducing a possibility for consideration rather than asserting it

I imagine the path will reopen once the retaining wall is inspected.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
  • Imagine (this word)
  • dream
professional
formal

Meaning 1: To form a mental picture or possibility that is not immediately present.

  • everyday

    picture

    Fits when a concrete visual scene is being formed

    Careful Picture is less natural for abstract systems or moral possibilities.

  • warm

    dream

    Fits when hope and desire shape the imagined future

    Careful Dream may imply low practicality or an unconscious sleeping experience.

  • professional

    envision

    Fits when a coherent future state should guide planning

    Careful Envision is more deliberate and organized than free imaginative play.

  • formal

    conceive

    Fits when an original idea is taking intellectual form

    Careful Conceive is abstract and says little about vivid sensory imagination.

Meaning 2: To suppose that something may be true or may happen.

  • everyday

    suppose

    Fits when a tentative assumption advances the discussion

    Careful Suppose is analytical and does not invite creative visualization.

  • professional

    anticipate

    Fits when a likely future event is being considered in advance

    Careful Anticipate adds expectation and preparation, not mere possibility.

  • formal

    presume

    Fits when a belief is adopted before full proof is available

    Careful Presume can imply overconfidence and is less tentative than imagine.

Opposites 3

  • overlook
  • dismiss
  • know

Common phrases 3

  • imagine a future

    Imagine a future in which the old mill powers the riverside homes.

  • hard to imagine

    It is hard to imagine the narrow room holding fifty looms.

  • imagine that

    I imagine that a shorter route would help first-time visitors.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated