Definition of imaginenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word imagine distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of imagine are conceive, envisage, envision, fancy, realize, and think. While all these words mean "to form an idea of," imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

When is it sensible to use conceive instead of imagine?

While the synonyms conceive and imagine are close in meaning, conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

How do envisage and envision relate to one another, in the sense of imagine?

Both envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation
envisioned a cure for the disease

When could fancy be used to replace imagine?

The words fancy and imagine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

When is realize a more appropriate choice than imagine?

The meanings of realize and imagine largely overlap; however, realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

Where would think be a reasonable alternative to imagine?

The words think and imagine can be used in similar contexts, but think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imagine So imagine, imagine one, three and a half times that size. Outside Online, 11 Feb. 2026 In the past, saviors have occasionally materialized, but rarely how a broken party imagined them. Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026 The ability to imagine has long been considered a trait unique to humans. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026 The average viewer imagines all sort of carnal activities happening, titillated by what might appear onscreen once the visuals kick in. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for imagine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imagine
Verb
  • It’s envisioned as a regional draw capable of hosting youth hockey, skating events, tournaments and other large indoor gatherings.
    Kendrick Calfee February 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Kottikollon does not envision guests arriving for an annual weeklong retreat only to return to daily life unchanged.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • People think, oh, this is just a nepotism situation.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Lindsey showed that people can do it a lot longer than anybody thought.
    Sean Gregory, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Amazon’s February deals include Apple AirTags to keep tabs on your luggage, because guessing where your bag landed is not the vibe.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The rest of the judges floundered with Rita Ora guessing Selma Blair, Ken Jeong putting his money on Christina Applegate and Robin Thicke going with Danielle Fishel.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In one of several photos included in the 3 million new Epstein files, Mountbatten-Windsor is seen kneeling on all fours over an unidentified woman on the ground.
    James Powel, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
  • During the Super Bowl halftime show, the casita made an appearance again, and this time, the world would see its interior for the first time.
    Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Like many others in his community, Awad believes the Israeli government intentionally neglects crime perpetrated against Palestinian citizens.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Last Thursday, the league issued a $500,000 fine to the Utah Jazz and a $100,000 penalty to the Indiana Pacers for sitting healthy players, believing their apparent tanking actions compromised the league's competitive integrity.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Until recently, the markets had assumed that companies would be buoyed by the massive amount of capex (capital expenditure) going into AI, and that AI would generate new efficiencies and higher productivity that would ultimately result in higher revenues and earnings per share.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
  • In the past, scientists had assumed that the ability to pretend and consider multiple realities was unique to humans.
    Evan Bush, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • It's pictured here on April 17, 2025.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
  • His profile, which pictured him and Li in a park, smiling, claimed that the couple, married for more than thirty years, didn’t have any children.
    Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • To strengthen the economy, Texas must rein in local spending, increase transparency, expand audits of cities, counties, and universities, and consider local spending caps so taxpayers aren’t saddled with unsustainable obligations.
    Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Though she initially was considered missing, the urgency to quickly find Guthrie pulsed through the first days of media coverage because of her heart condition.
    Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Imagine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imagine. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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