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.
The revs are but an airy figment in your febrile mind.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
As Kunimoto says, private-fund valuations are often “a figment of imagination.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
And if this ends up being nothing more than a figment of my imagination, where’s the harm in choosing not to question it, if it gives me something I’ve been so painfully missing.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
“He’s in great shape. We were talking hitting. Obviously, he’s a huge fan of Shohei. I told him, ‘I always thought he was a figment of my imagination.’
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2024
His “enthusiasm” for the weapon was a figment of Alvarez’s imagination.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
