as in theory
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1
as in envisioning
to form a mental picture of
she was determined to have the wedding that she had always imagined
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in thinking
to have as an opinion
I imagine that's true, but you still have to prove it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in guessing
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
I imagine things will change rapidly once we begin
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imagining
Jackson Howard, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Maul is a dirtier, grungier imagining of the Star Wars universe, leaning into the darker moments of shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
But Love Story offers its condemnations without seeming to wonder whether a work of semi-fiction—a full-scale imagining of two people’s lives—is a paparazzo by other means.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
And in unassuming buildings scattered across Los Angeles, a reiterative imagining of community theater would continue, one Thursday night at a time.
—Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The museum’s Sunday conversation series, created in partnership with the Othering & Belonging Institute, is set to explore the topic of radical public imagining.
—Anne Schrager, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Jan. 2026
For contestants on Jeopardy's Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, no imagining was needed.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
If the poem were merely a wish that the world is like this, a pretty imagining, then to hell with it.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Guy Ritchie‘s re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes has its first teaser trailer.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
Reading Tóibín draws me back to my own roots, imagining my paternal great grandmother traveling by ship from Cork to Galveston, and stepping onto this massive continent.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Creativity is the ability to generate something genuinely new, not just by recombining existing elements, but by imagining possibilities that never existed before.
—Ryan Roslansky
aneesh Raman, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
There were also jokes imagining the delivery driver’s side of the story.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Slaves began imagining the possibility of freedom.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
Hard sci-fi, meanwhile, leans into the fact that life evolving on other planets, under different conditions, and across different stretches of time will almost certainly take on forms so different from ours that comprehending them would be like imagining a new color.
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Coming into the offseason last fall, the Mets were already imagining what the team would look like with Benge’s left-handed bat in the lineup and his powerful right arm in the outfield.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Despite their obvious differences in setting and premise, each one conveys the difficulty of imagining a future amid an apprehensive present.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
Full Moon isn’t all force; in Brandy’s imagining, the record would serve as an exploration of an entire relationship, and fittingly the love songs here shine.
—Jackson Howard, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2026
Article continues below Maul is a dirtier, grungier imagining of the Star Wars universe, leaning into the darker moments of shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
But Love Story offers its condemnations without seeming to wonder whether a work of semi-fiction—a full-scale imagining of two people’s lives—is a paparazzo by other means.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
And in unassuming buildings scattered across Los Angeles, a reiterative imagining of community theater would continue, one Thursday night at a time.
—Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
The museum’s Sunday conversation series, created in partnership with the Othering & Belonging Institute, is set to explore the topic of radical public imagining.
—Anne Schrager, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Jan. 2026
For contestants on Jeopardy's Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005, no imagining was needed.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
If the poem were merely a wish that the world is like this, a pretty imagining, then to hell with it.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Guy Ritchie‘s re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes has its first teaser trailer.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
Unlike pessimism, which helps humans survive by imagining worst-case scenarios, optimism can more effectively solve problems in the modern world, says behavioral scientist and psychologist Deepika Chopra.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
Reading Tóibín draws me back to my own roots, imagining my paternal great grandmother traveling by ship from Cork to Galveston, and stepping onto this massive continent.
—Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026
Creativity is the ability to generate something genuinely new, not just by recombining existing elements, but by imagining possibilities that never existed before.
—Ryan Roslansky
aneesh Raman, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
There were also jokes imagining the delivery driver’s side of the story.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Slaves began imagining the possibility of freedom.
—Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
Hard sci-fi, meanwhile, leans into the fact that life evolving on other planets, under different conditions, and across different stretches of time will almost certainly take on forms so different from ours that comprehending them would be like imagining a new color.
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Coming into the offseason last fall, the Mets were already imagining what the team would look like with Benge’s left-handed bat in the lineup and his powerful right arm in the outfield.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Despite their obvious differences in setting and premise, each one conveys the difficulty of imagining a future amid an apprehensive present.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imagining
Noun
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His practical advice fares better than both his theories and his pallid attempts at profundity.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Behavior change theory includes a tenant of measurement known as social norms.—
Matt Parrott,
Arkansas Online,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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All of which leads one to wonder, what is Griffin really envisioning for his final act?—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Cubs aren’t envisioning fully using Suzuki as the DH to get him back quicker.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Focus on the craft in front of you without thinking of its hypothetical audience.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But as these researchers are the first to admit, the difficulty of defining intelligence is as old as the study of thinking itself—and has plagued artificial intelligence as a field from its very earliest days.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The playful breed-guessing challenge has captivated dog lovers, highlighting how diverse mixed-breed dogs can be—and how much personality can hint at ancestry.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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There is a famous idea that large groups can be good at guessing simple things, like — like the weight of a bull.—
Gary Shapiro,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The relief will be reviewed monthly, raising questions about how long Pretoria can absorb external pressures without reopening budget assumptions.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The entire fiscal architecture of the developed world rests on the assumption that capital creates jobs and workers fund the lion's share of the state.—
Ravi Kumar S,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At night, Martinez lay awake picturing an agent in the middle of the road raising his gun.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The trio created fake Minnesota temporary drivers’ licenses using false names, with each license picturing one of the Thomases, federal prosecutors said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump launched this conflict believing that Iran was weak, and that a short, sharp campaign would force a new leader to terms.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Not like the spring of 2021, with poor Chris Woodward trying his darndest to talk us into believing Joey Gallo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Kyle Gibson were the makings of something big.—
Kevin Sherrington
Mar. 25,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The researchers suggest that future batteries may need to account for this dynamic behavior rather than assuming a stable internal structure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Alfredo Delgadillo has been promoted to CEO & President, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, assuming oversight of Universal Music Latino in the United States, while continuing to lead Universal Music Mexico and the Regional Mexican label Fono.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imagining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imagining. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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