unimaginative
/'ʌni'mædʤinətiv/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Lacking originality, creativity, or the ability to form new ideas: Describes a person, thought, or product that is dull, predictable, and does not show inventiveness.
- Concerned only with concrete facts and practicalities: Describes an approach that is overly literal and fails to consider abstract or innovative possibilities.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- The report was thorough but unimaginative, simply repeating old data without new insights.
- He is a competent but unimaginative manager who always follows the rulebook.
- The film's plot was predictable and unimaginative.
Advanced Usage
- "unimaginative thinking": thought processes that are conventional and lack innovation.
- The project failed due to the team's unimaginative thinking.
- "unimaginative approach": a method that is routine and lacks creative flair.
- Their unimaginative approach to marketing yielded poor results.
Variants and Related Words
- Unimaginatively (adverb): in a manner lacking imagination.
- The room was decorated unimaginatively with plain white walls.
- Unimaginativeness (noun): the quality of being unimaginative.
- The unimaginativeness of the proposal was its main weakness.
Synonyms
- Unoriginal: not original; derivative.
- Pedestrian: lacking inspiration or excitement; dull.
- Stereotyped: lacking originality or individuality; conforming to a fixed pattern.
- Uninspired: lacking in imagination or originality.
Antonyms
- Imaginative: having or showing creativity or inventiveness.
- Creative: involving the use of imagination or original ideas to create something.
- Inventive: having the ability to create or design new things or to think originally.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "Stuck in a rut": trapped in a boring or monotonous routine, often implying a lack of imaginative change. (This is a related concept, not a direct phrasal verb with "unimaginative").
- The company's designs are stuck in a rut; they need more imaginative ideas.
Adjective
- lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality
- stereotyped phrases of condolence
- even his profanity was unimaginative
- dealing only with concrete facts
- deficient in originality or creativity; lacking powers of invention
- a sterile ideology lacking in originality
- unimaginative development of a musical theme
- uninspired writing