imaginative

[ ih-maj-uh-nuh-tiv, -ney-tiv ]

/ ɪˈmædʒ ə nə tɪv, -ˌneɪ tɪv /

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adjective

characterized by or bearing evidence of imagination: an imaginative tale.

of, relating to, or concerned with imagination.

given to imagining, as persons.

having exceptional powers of imagination.

lacking truth; fanciful.

Nearby words

imaginary axis, imaginary number, imaginary part, imaginary unit, imagination, imaginative, imagine, imagineer, imagineering, imaging, imagism

Origin of imaginative

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin imāginātīvus imaginary, imaginative, equivalent to Latin imāgināt(us) imagined (see imagination) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English imaginatif < Middle French < Medieval Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR imaginative

1 creative, inventive, clever, ingenious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR imaginative ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

i·mag·i·na·tive·ly, adverbi·mag·i·na·tive·ness, nouno·ver·im·ag·i·na·tive, adjectiveo·ver·im·ag·i·na·tive·ly, adverb

o·ver·im·ag·i·na·tive·ness, nounun·im·ag·i·na·tive, adjectiveun·im·ag·i·na·tive·ly, adverb

Can be confused

imaginary imaginative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for imaginative

I also had great optimism that Guillermo would be able to realize these creatures in a unique and imaginative way.
Vampires without Glitter or Girl Problems: Inside Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Strain’|Andrew Romano|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The food here also is delicious and imaginative, but the ambience is 180-degrees different.
Holy Molé: Tucson’s Mexican Food with a Kick|Jane & Michael Stern|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pretending and imaginative play also flourish, and imaginary friends are common companions to young schoolchildren.
Diagnosing Jane, Louis C.K.’s Troubled Daughter on ‘Louie’ Who Can’t Separate Dreams From Reality|Russell Saunders|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unless Jane becomes more unhinged in coming episodes, she was just an imaginative kid being a kid.
Diagnosing Jane, Louis C.K.’s Troubled Daughter on ‘Louie’ Who Can’t Separate Dreams From Reality|Russell Saunders|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is such that some of the best cinema demands our imaginative involvement—Robert Bresson comes to mind.
Confessions of a Death Camp Collaborator: Claude Lanzmann’s ‘The Last of the Unjust’|Jimmy So|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The light in which the world appeared to the older poet was that of common sense strangely blended with imaginative mysticism.
The Roman Poets of the Republic|William Young Sellar
She was an imaginative American girl with a sunshiny soul and much vitality who lived in New York.
H. R.|Edwin Lefevre
Clare was an imaginative child, and the topic of all her dreams was this mysterious mother whom she had never seen.
Clare Avery|Emily Sarah Holt
St. Francis was unlettered, but his mind was poetic and imaginative, his nature gentle and humble.
Tuscan Sculpture of the Fifteenth Century|Estelle M. Hurll
I should call it a piece of imaginative literature worthy of Stevenson….
Bird Lore, Volume I--1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for imaginative

imaginative

/ (ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv) /

adjective

produced by or indicative of a vivid or creative imaginationan imaginative story

having a vivid imagination

Derived Forms

imaginatively, adverbimaginativeness, 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

imaginative

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of imaginative

SYNONYMS FOR imaginative

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for imaginative

British Dictionary definitions for imaginative

imaginative

adjective

Derived Forms