imaginary
Americanadjective
noun
plural
imaginariesadjective
-
existing in the imagination; unreal; illusory
-
maths involving or containing imaginary numbers. The imaginary part of a complex number, z, is usually written Im z
Other Word Forms
- imaginarily adverb
- imaginariness noun
- nonimaginarily adverb
- nonimaginarilyness noun
- nonimaginariness noun
- nonimaginary adjective
- preimaginary adjective
- unimaginary adjective
Etymology
Origin of imaginary
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin imāginārius, equivalent to imāgin-, (stem of imāgō ) image + -ārius -ary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the South, the book was said to have been “founded on imaginary circumstances, and gross improbabilities” and frequently banned.
From Literature
“Now let’s say there’s a monkey out there and you want to catch him,” he said, making a long swipe at an imaginary monkey.
From Literature
Perhaps so, but the imaginary apocalypse made Easter Island famous.
Pilots log hundreds of hours chasing imaginary cars, bikes, and skiers through digital landscapes to practice—so that when the whole world is watching, they can reach their own rarefied plane of athletic zen.
In captivity, at least one chimpanzee appeared to drag imaginary blocks across the floor after playing with real wooden ones.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
