imaginative
Americanadjective
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characterized by or bearing evidence of imagination.
an imaginative tale.
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of, relating to, or concerned with imagination.
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given to imagining, as persons.
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having exceptional powers of imagination.
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lacking truth; fanciful.
adjective
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produced by or indicative of a vivid or creative imagination
an imaginative story
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having a vivid imagination
Other Word Forms
- imaginatively adverb
- imaginativeness noun
- overimaginative adjective
- overimaginatively adverb
- overimaginativeness noun
- unimaginative adjective
- unimaginatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of imaginative
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin imāginātīvus imaginary, imaginative, equivalent to Latin imāgināt ( us ) imagined ( imagination ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English imaginatif < Middle French < Medieval Latin, as above
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.
It has been designed to encourage pre-schoolers to talk to it and carry out imaginative play.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
That’s not a very imaginative assessment of what’s happening.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
Ms. Atwood shows how an effort to make sense of—and peace with—the past can be a powerful motivator and a deep source of imaginative possibility.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
It’s an agreeably heartfelt reminder that children are powered by an imaginative daring and purity of bonding we’d be wise to nurture, not squelch, if we’re going to learn how to inhabit the increasingly uninhabitable.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026
It wasn’t Lyra’s way to brood; she was a sanguine and practical child, and besides, she wasn’t imaginative.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
