imaginary friend
Child's invented companion
An imaginary friend is a made-up companion, typically invented by a young child.
The friend may be human, animal, or fantastical, and the child interacts with them as if they were real—talking to them, setting a place for them at meals, blaming them for mischief.
She had an imaginary friend named Mr. Buttons until she was six.
Developmental psychologists consider imaginary friends normal and even beneficial for social and creative development.
- invisibleCannot be seen
- pretendAct as though
- make believeImaginative fantasy play
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- playmateRecreational companion
lonely · fantasy · companion · make-believe · talking · secret · stuffed animal · monster · monster under bed · ghost · bedroom · whisper · tea party · tea set · protective · innocent · hallucination · childhood memory
- childhoodchildhood, baby, child, kid, toys
- childhood connectionsplaymate, sibling, classmate, cousin, childhood sweetheart
- childhood influencesgrandparent, mentor, teacher, coach, pet
- childhood loretooth fairy, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, boogeyman, monster under bed
- childhood themeschildhood trauma, nostalgia, innocence, play, wonder
- friendspal, buddy, pals, buddies, bestfriend
imaginary, friend, image, imagine, imagination, imaginative, imaginatively, imaged, imagery