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 Overnight sensation Just two weeks ago, the family from Cambridge, Minnesota couldn’t have imagined traveling to Kansas City to watch a women’s football game. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025 The guitar bolts and sweeping synths beg you to imagine Carti as some kind of shadow boss, levitating in the sky like SpongeBob going Goofy Goober mode. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025 The Future May Be Port-Free Just imagine: no USB-C connector at the base of the phone, with only charging through a charging pad as an option, and with data synced exclusively wirelessly. David Phelan, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 Instead imagine your brain as a machine-learning model. Dalton Conley, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imagine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imagine
Verb
  • For Henshaw-Plath, the enduring lesson of Gamergate was that social media platforms as they were originally envisioned were only as good as the people using them.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Take a look at how Omar Kelly envisions the first round of the 2025 NFL Mock Draft playing out.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Why Skipping Is The Ultimate Plyometric Exercise Most think of skipping as something kids do.
    Jesse Pines, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • To make matters worse, Brooklyn’s family thinks that Brian is just using her for the trust fund that she’s inherited from her recently deceased father.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Bot gets 0 points for guessing in four and +1 for beating me.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • If not, there will be a new game released tomorrow with another chance to guess the categories, and Newsweek will be back with more tips and tricks to help you along!
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Though policymakers do apparently see tariffs creating some inflation in 2025 on their recent projections.
    Simon Moore, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Morocco will see the deepest eclipse on the continent, with up to 18% coverage.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Turk-Browne believes there are multiple possible explanations, including the theory that those recollections simply never make it to the long-term storage regions of the brain.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2025
  • About six people, believed to be teenagers, fled the house and ran into the nearby Edenwald Houses, according to police sources.
    Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Her dog, Willow Jane, assumes the position and places her head in her palm.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
  • All of those offices were won by Democrats, who would be assuming office in January 2025.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Another way of picturing DNA storage is as a fundamental reimagining of data—one that will open up new possibilities by allowing information to exist in new places.
    Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
  • By the end of October, Susan (pictured above at left, with Victoria Tamberrino) was testing out her cinnamon roll recipe in The NuWray’s ovens.
    Hanna Raskin, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This result is far from a disaster though, as key Flamengo players had just returned from a busy international break, and visitors Inter are also considered title contenders.
    Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Rectangles of prospective dimensions are considered.
    Sarah K. Rich, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Imagine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imagine. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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