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imaginary

[ ih-maj-uh-ner-ee ]
/ ɪˈmædʒ əˌnɛr i /
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adjective
existing only in the imagination or fancy; not real; fancied: an imaginary illness; the imaginary animals in the stories of Dr. Seuss.
noun, plural im·ag·i·nar·ies.
Mathematics. imaginary number.
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Origin of imaginary

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin imāginārius, equivalent to imāgin-, (stem of imāgō) image + -ārius-ary

OTHER WORDS FROM imaginary

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH imaginary

imaginary , imaginative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use imaginary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imaginary

imaginary
/ (ɪˈmædʒɪnərɪ, -dʒɪnrɪ) /

adjective
existing in the imagination; unreal; illusory
maths involving or containing imaginary numbers. The imaginary part of a complex number, z, is usually written Im z

Derived forms of imaginary

imaginarily, adverbimaginariness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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