Word family noun imagination imaginings adjective imaginable ≠ unimaginable imaginary imaginative ≠ unimaginative unimagined verb imagine adverb unimaginably imaginatively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishimaginationi‧ma‧gi‧na‧tion /ɪˌmædʒəˈneɪʃən/ ●●● S3 W3 noun 1 [countable, uncountable]IMAGINE the ability to form pictures or ideas in your mind a storyteller with an incredible imagination It does not take much imagination to understand their grief. With a little imagination, you can find great inexpensive gifts.2 → be (a figment of) somebody’s imagination3 → in somebody’s imagination4 → capture/catch somebody’s imagination5 → leave something to somebody’s imagination6 → leave little/nothing to the imagination7 → use your imagination → not by any stretch of the imagination at stretch2(4)COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good imaginationShe's a lively child, with a good imagination.great imaginationHis paintings show great imagination.a vivid/fertile imagination (=an ability to think of a lot of ideas and things that could happen)She had a fertile imagination and a great sense of humour.With your vivid imagination, you should write a book.an overactive/fevered imagination (=a mind that imagines strange things that are not real)These stories are the product of an overactive imagination.the public imaginationThe story captured the public imagination.creative imaginationI don't have the creative imagination to be a writer.verbshave (an) imaginationHer poems show that she has a lot of imagination.use your imaginationMusicians need to use their imagination as well as their technical skills.show/display imaginationHis latest paintings display a vivid imagination.lack imaginationA lot of today's pop music seems to lack imagination.fire/stimulate somebody's imagination (=make someone use their imagination)The aim of the exhibition is to stimulate people's imagination.phrasesbe full of imaginationHer stories are full of imagination.a lack of imaginationTheir policies show a lack of imagination.let your imagination run wild (also let your imagination run riot British English) (=allow yourself to imagine many strange or wonderful things)He uses painting as a way of letting his imagination run riot.Examples from the Corpus
imagination• Each of these views is part of or generated a coherent system, but they are systems fed by imagination.• Shakespeare has the most fertile imagination of all the poets.• Debbie has a very good imagination.• This would be a well-placed lesson to her in how to use her imagination a bit more.• These things belonged to the past moments in which he first envisioned them, images in photographs he took in his imagination.• Dressed in tweeds and constantly pipe smoking, his imagination often ran away with him.• The gymslip Lolita is not entirely a figment of the male imagination.• That this may not be the case in certain instances does not take much imagination to comprehend.• In my imagination and nightmares I have done time in an iron lung.• Maybe it was just my imagination, but he seemed really hostile.• Reading is a good way to develop a child's imagination at an early age.• Jack's vivid imagination often gave him bad dreams.• There's no-one knocking at the door - it must have been your imagination.• I don't have a photograph with me so you'll have to use your imagination. 