imaginary

imaginary
adjective Date: 14th century 1. a. existing only in imagination ; lacking factual reality b. formed or characterized imaginatively or arbitrarily <
his canvases, chiefly imaginary, somber landscapes — Current Biography
>
2. containing or relating to the imaginary unit <
imaginary roots
>
imaginarily adverbimaginariness noun Synonyms: imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable. imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination <
an imaginary desert isle
>
. fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination <
a teller of fanciful stories
>
. visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization <
visionary schemes
>
. fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief <
a fantastic world inhabited by monsters
>
. chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic <
chimerical dreams of future progress
>
. quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense <
a quixotic crusade
>
.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Imaginary — can refer to:* Imaginary (sociology), a concept in sociology * Imaginary number, a concept in mathematics * Imaginary time, a concept in physics * Imagination, a mental faculty * Object of the mind, an object of the imagination * Imaginary enemy… …   Wikipedia

  • Imaginary — Im*ag i*na*ry, a. [L. imaginarius: cf. F. imaginaire.] Existing only in imagination or fancy; not real; fancied; visionary; ideal. [1913 Webster] Wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer Imaginary ills and fancied tortures? Addison. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Imaginary — «Imaginary» Сингл Evanescence из альбома Fallen Выпущен 2004 Формат CD, Цифровая дистрибуция …   Википедия

  • imaginary — adj 1 Imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic are comparable when they are applied to conceptions or to the persons who form the conceptions and mean unreal or unbelievable and out of keeping with things as they are or… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Imaginary — «Imaginary» Sencillo de Evanescence del álbum Fallen Formato CD Grabación 2003 Género(s) Metal Gótico Rock Gotico Duración …   Wikipedia Español

  • imaginary — imaginary, imaginative Imaginary means ‘existing only in the imagination, not real’, whereas imaginative means ‘having or showing a high degree of imagination’. Both words can be applied to people as well as things; an imaginary person is one who …   Modern English usage

  • Imaginary — Im*ag i*na*ry, n. (Alg.) An imaginary expression or quantity. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • imaginary — (adj.) not real, late 14c., ymaginaire, from IMAGINE (Cf. imagine) + ARY (Cf. ary); or else from L.L. imaginarius seeming, fancied, from imaginari. Imaginary friend (one who does not exist) attested by 1789 …   Etymology dictionary

  • imaginary — ► ADJECTIVE 1) existing only in the imagination. 2) Mathematics expressed in terms of the square root of 1 (represented by i or j): imaginary numbers. DERIVATIVES imaginarily adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • imaginary — index artificial, delusive, fictitious, hypothetical, illusory, insubstantial, nonexistent, speculative …   Law dictionary

  • imaginary — [adj] fictitious, invented abstract, apocryphal, apparitional, assumed, chimerical, deceptive, delusive, dreamed up*, dreamlike, dreamy, fabulous, fancied, fanciful, fantastic, fictional, figmental, fool’s paradise*, hallucinatory, hypothetical,… …   New thesaurus

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