figment
Americannoun
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a mere product of mental invention; a fantastic notion.
The noises in the attic were just a figment of his imagination.
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a feigned, invented, or imagined story, theory, etc..
biographical and historical figments.
noun
Synonym Usage
See fiction.
Etymology
Origin of figment
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin figmentum “something made or feigned,” equivalent to fig- (base of fingere “to mold, feign”) + -mentum -ment; see fiction ( def. )
Explanation
When something is a figment of your imagination, it means that you made it up. It's something that might seem real, but is really not. What does a fig- (not the fruit fig) have to do with something made up inside your head? It has to do with Latin, as usual — both figment and fiction derive from the same Latin word. But it might help to think of figment as a fig leaf — a figment is something flimsy and easily blown away.
Vocabulary lists containing figment
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Our Favorite Lily Tomlin Quotes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Kunimoto says, private-fund valuations are often “a figment of imagination.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Pat died in 2012, but was later seen on-screen again with Dame Barbara Windsor, when she returned as a figment of the dying Peggy's imagination in 2016.
From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025
Who knows, maybe the daughter is a figment of her imagination too, though I don’t think the movie supports such a reading.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025
There are competing factions on the question of what a color actually is — or if it’s anything more than a figment of our imagination.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2024
It was just a silly figment of my imagination.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
