Definition

Noun - The state or quality of being imaginary: "imaginariness" refers to the condition of existing only in the imagination, not in reality. It denotes something that is fictitious, illusory, or unreal.

Usage Examples

• (The story's lack of real existence reduced its scare factor.)
• (They discuss whether these ideas are purely mental constructs.)
• (The map's fictitious nature was proven by the absence of actual treasure.)

Advanced Usage

• "the imaginariness of something": a formal or literary way to emphasize that something is not real.

  • The poet celebrated the imaginariness of dreams as a source of creative freedom. (He valued the unreal quality of dreams for artistic inspiration.)

• "a claim of imaginariness": used in philosophical or legal contexts to assert that something is fictional.

  • The defendant's argument relied on the imaginariness of the alleged threat. (He claimed the threat existed only in the accuser's mind.)

Variants and Related Words

• Imaginary (adj): existing only in the imagination; not real.

  • The child had an imaginary friend named Bobo. (A friend that existed only in the child's mind.)

• Imagine (verb): to form a mental image or concept of something.

  • Can you imagine living on Mars? (Form a mental picture of that life.)

• Imagination (noun): the faculty or action of forming new ideas or images in the mind.

  • Her imagination created a wonderful story. (Her mental creativity produced a tale.)

Synonyms

• Unreality: the state of being unreal or imaginary.
• Fictitiousness: the quality of being invented or fabricated.
• Illusoriness: the quality of being deceptive or based on illusion.

Related Idioms

• Figment of the imagination: something that exists only in one's mind.

  • The monster was just a figment of the child's imagination. (It was entirely imaginary.)

• All in one's head: existing only in one's thoughts, not in reality.

  • His fear of failure is all in his head. (It is imaginary, not based on real evidence.)