figment
Americannoun
-
a mere product of mental invention; a fantastic notion.
The noises in the attic were just a figment of his imagination.
-
a feigned, invented, or imagined story, theory, etc..
biographical and historical figments.
noun
Synonym Usage
See fiction.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Our Favorite Lily Tomlin Quotes
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Oddly, she appears as a sort of confidante with whom Odysseus speaks at intervals, and might be a figment of his imagination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
As Kunimoto says, private-fund valuations are often “a figment of imagination.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 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
In 1993's True Romance, Kilmer played a version of Elvis Presley who is a figment of Christian Slater's imagination.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025
His “enthusiasm” for the weapon was a figment of Alvarez’s imagination.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
We meet them before we meet Sally and Theo, and whether they are figments or not, they are unmistakably haunting the new occupant who’s writing about them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
But that's the issue, we have fictionalized a real-life relationship with our very own elusive figments of our imagination.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023
“I will have them. They’ll be there. They won’t just be figments of imagination or floating around digitally. They’ll be real things that I can remember.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 26, 2022
The new faces around the DAR are not figments of her imagination.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2022
Suppose all of these houses aren’t real at all, this bed not real, but only figments of my own imagination, given substance by telepathy and hypnosis through the Martians, thought Captain John Black.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
