imaginary
Existing only mentally
Imaginary describes something that exists only in the mind, not in reality.
An imaginary friend is a child's invented companion.
Imaginary fears lack real basis.
The word can dismiss something as fabricated: The threat was purely imaginary.
In mathematics, imaginary numbers involve the square root of negative one—"imaginary" because such roots don't exist among real numbers.
Perception without external cause
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- phantasmIllusory supernatural appearance
- apparitionVisible supernatural manifestation
- delusionStubbornly held false belief
specter · phantom · ghost · figment · illusion · dreamlike · ethereal · insubstantial
Invented, not real
- inventedCreated something new
- made-upFabricated, not factual
- fictionalNot real, invented
- bogusCounterfeit or fraudulent
sham · feigned · pretend · phony · fake · concocted · contrived · nonexistent
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
- unicornMythical one-horned horse
- wizardPractitioner of sorcery
- fairyTiny winged magical creature
- enchantedUnder magical influence
magic · kingdom · sorcery · goblin · troll · elf · dwarf · nymph
Generating many ideas freely
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- originalityNovel creative quality
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- inventionNew device or method
ingenuity · visionary · conceptual · ideation · inventiveness · novelty · daydream · fantasy
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- playtimeRecreation period for children
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
- role-playAssume a character temporarily
playacting · storybook · fairy-tale · whimsical · puppetry · costume · theatrical · dreamland
Arrange letters correctly
- witchPractitioner of dark arts
- sorceryPractice of dark magic
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- seerOne who envisions futures
amulet · prophecy · medium · oracle · divination · clairvoyance · hex · trance
hallucination
Perception without external cause
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- phantasmIllusory supernatural appearance
- apparitionVisible supernatural manifestation
delusion · specter · phantom · ghost · figment · illusion · dreamlike · ethereal · insubstantial · intangible
fabricated
Invented, not real
bogus · sham · feigned · pretend · phony · fake · concocted · contrived · nonexistent · untrue
dragon
Legendary fire-breathing reptile
enchanted · magic · kingdom · sorcery · goblin · troll · elf · dwarf · nymph · griffin
brainstorming
Generating many ideas freely
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- originalityNovel creative quality
- creativityCapacity for original thought
invention · ingenuity · visionary · conceptual · ideation · inventiveness · novelty · daydream · fantasy · vision
pretend
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- playtimeRecreation period for children
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
role-play · playacting · storybook · fairy-tale · whimsical · puppetry · costume · theatrical · dreamland · nursery
spell
Arrange letters correctly
- witchPractitioner of dark arts
- sorceryPractice of dark magic
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
seer · amulet · prophecy · medium · oracle · divination · clairvoyance · hex · trance · psychic
coefficient
Number multiplying a variable
roots · conjugate · Euler · modulus · magnitude · quaternion · negative · algebraic
- unreal thingsillusion, delusion, fantasy, fiction, fake
- imaginary stylesfantasy, fantastical, dreamlike, dreamy, surreal
- fantasywizard, witch, magic, dragon, elf
- math termsnumbers, plus or minus, linear growth, square, operand
- Lacanreal, lamella, the gaze, the Other
- illusionsmirage, optical illusion, hallucination, illusion, afterimage
- imaginary friendsFictional companions children create
- imaginary worldsInvented settings for stories
- imaginary lineConceived but unseeable division
- imaginary numbersMultiples of i
- leave to the imaginationNot make explicit
- figment of imagination
imagination, imaginative, imaginatively, imaginary number, imaginaries