imago
Americannoun
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imagoes,
plural
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imagines
plural
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Entomology. an adult insect.
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Psychoanalysis. an idealized concept of a loved one, formed in childhood and retained unaltered in adult life.
noun
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an adult sexually mature insect produced after metamorphosis
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psychoanal an idealized image of another person, usually a parent, acquired in childhood and carried in the unconscious in later life
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of imago
1790–1800; < New Latin, Latin imāgō; see image
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.
See Examples For:
We are the imago Dei; we are made in the image of God.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 11, 2023
In the Butterfly Garden, I read about metamorphosis, from egg to imago.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2019
It explores various interpretations of the Eucharist, human origins and the concept of imago Dei.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2016
In fact, most versions of the tradition considered the two bodies equally authentic: the effigy or imago was looked on as an emanation of the once-living body rather than its representation.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2010
It’s hard for me to imagine myself as a grown-up, one of those imago things.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Now, he imagines days in the not-too-distant future where 5-year-olds learn by roaming these hills, not just listening to stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Attaching labels like “disruptive” and “innovative” to “alternative institutions” doesn’t make them a cure for all the ills Mr. Yass imagines higher education suffers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
He imagines Meta has been working on the camera-free glasses for several years, and the current backlash over privacy provides "fantastic timing" for their release.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
I am not the fan that the NFL pictures when it imagines its fans.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Yes, but a smaller one than he imagines, for a smaller service. Which of these lands will you consent to part with?”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
After bugs go through metamorphosis, they are called imagoes.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
In the case of the leaf-miners and leaf-tiers, little difficulty is experienced in rearing the imagoes.
From Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by C. V. Riley
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
