imaginary
/i'mædʤinəri/
Definition
Adjective:
- Not based on fact; unreal: Existing only in the imagination or as a concept, not in physical reality.
- Fanciful or invented: Created by or existing in the mind, often as a product of creativity or fantasy.
Noun:
- (Mathematics): A number that can be expressed in the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers, and i is the square root of -1.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- The child had an imaginary friend named Leo. (The friend existed only in the child's mind.)
- The story is set in an imaginary kingdom. (The kingdom is not a real place.)
- Her fears were mostly imaginary. (The fears were not based on real threats.)
Noun:
- In this equation, you must account for the imaginary. (The mathematical component involving i must be considered.)
Advanced Usage
- "Purely imaginary" (Mathematics): A complex number where the real part () is zero (e.g., 5).
- "Imaginary axis": The vertical axis on the complex plane representing imaginary numbers.
- "Imaginary line": A conceptual line used for measurement or division, not physically drawn (e.g., the equator is real, but a line dividing a room is imaginary).
Variants and Related Words
- Imagine (verb): To form a mental image or concept of something.
- Imagination (noun): The faculty or action of forming new ideas, images, or concepts not present to the senses.
- Imaginative (adjective): Having or showing creativity or inventiveness.
- Imaginable (adjective): Able to be imagined or conceived.
Synonyms
- Fictional: Relating to or occurring in fiction; invented.
- Unreal: Not real or actual.
- Fanciful: Over-imaginative and unrealistic.
- Illusory: Based on illusion; not real.
- Mythical: Occurring in or characteristic of myths or folk tales.
Antonyms
- Real: Actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact.
- Actual: Existing in fact; real.
- Tangible: Perceptible by touch; clear and definite; real.
- Concrete: Existing in a material or physical form; real.
Related Phrases and Concepts
- Imaginary number: The core mathematical term, as defined in the noun sense.
- Imaginary unit (i): The square root of -1, the fundamental component of an imaginary number.
- Complex number: A number containing both a real part and an imaginary part (e.g., 3 + 2).
Adjective
-
not based on fact; unreal
-
the falsehood about some fanciful secret treaties- F.D.Roosevelt
-
a small child's imaginary friends
-
to create a notional world for oneself
-
Noun
-
(mathematics) a number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ tương tự
Từ chứa "imaginary"
Từ có nhắc đến "imaginary"
