figment

American  

[fig-muhnt] / ˈfɪg mənt /

noun

• figments
  plural

1. a mere product of mental invention; a fantastic notion.

   The noises in the attic were just a figment of his imagination.

2. a feigned, invented, or imagined story, theory, etc..

   biographical and historical figments.

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figment British  

/ ˈfɪɡmənt /

noun

1. a fantastic notion, invention, or fabrication

   a figment of the imagination

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Synonym Usage

See fiction.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• figments
  plural

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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. )

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

figment figments

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

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

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

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

This might suggest that the so-called imaginary time is really the real time, and that what we call real time is just a figment of our imaginations.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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 people who allowed this to happen are not ghosts or figments of our imaginations. They are real and should be made to face the law immediately.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2021

"Have a little faith," she coaches herself, as the dark shape floats easily through the screen like smoke or clouds or figments of any sort.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

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