verb
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to form a mental image of; visualize; contemplate
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to conceive of as a possibility in the future; foresee
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archaic to look in the face of; confront
Usage
It was formerly considered incorrect to use a clause after envisage as in it is envisaged that the new centre will cost £40 million , but this use is now acceptable
Other Word Forms
- envisagement noun
Etymology
Origin of envisage
From the French word envisager, dating back to 1810–20. See en- 1, visage
Compare meaning
How does envisage compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Martin Luther King Jr. envisaged a time when black and white Americans would no longer be segregated by race. To envisage is to imagine something that does not yet exist. The words envisage and envision share the same Latin root meaning to see. Both words are very similar in meaning but do have slight shades of difference. If you envision something happening, you can see it happening in your mind. I'm sure you can envision yourself graduating from high school! If you envisage something, you can imagine it, but not necessarily see it. You can envisage world peace, but it may be harder to envision it.
Vocabulary lists containing envisage
Fidel Castro (1926-2016) Memorial List
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English Words Derived from French, List 7
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Harry Truman's Inauguration Address
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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.
At some stage, where the heat will be a factor, I could envisage Harry Kane playing around an hour and Bellingham coming on to replace him.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
“We envisage over 20% upside to our price target,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
The blueprints already envisage a two-story colonnade linking the main White House mansion to the 1,000-seat ballroom, where Trump plans to host foreign dignitaries and major events.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
In an essay on Marianne Moore’s “England,” for example, Vendler writes that “Moore dared to envisage an audience as extravagantly informed as herself.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
Indeed, it used to be thought that Brunelleschi had produced his demonstration images around 1425 simply because scholars wanted to envisage these images as immediately provoking new art and new theories.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
