IMAGINARY


Meaning of IMAGINARY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ i-ˈma-jə-ˌner-ē, -ˌne-rē ]

adjective

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : existing only in imagination : lacking factual reality

b. : formed or characterized imaginatively or arbitrarily

his canvases, chiefly imaginary , somber landscapes — Current Biography

2. : containing or relating to the imaginary unit

imaginary roots

• imag·i·nari·ly i-ˌma-jə-ˈner-ə-lē adverb

• imag·i·nari·ness -ˈma-jə-ˌner-ē-nəs noun

Synonyms:

imaginary , fanciful , visionary , fantastic , chimerical , quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable. imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination

an imaginary desert isle

fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination

a teller of fanciful stories

visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization

visionary schemes

fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic

chimerical dreams of future progress

quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense

a quixotic crusade

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.