imaginative

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

adjective

1. characterized by or bearing evidence of imagination.

   an imaginative tale.

   Synonyms: ingenious, clever, inventive, creative

2. of, relating to, or concerned with imagination.

3. given to imagining, as persons.

4. having exceptional powers of imagination.

5. lacking truth; fanciful.

imaginative

/ ɪˈmædʒɪnətɪv /

adjective

1. produced by or indicative of a vivid or creative imagination

   an imaginative story

2. having a vivid imagination

Other Word Forms

• imaginativeness noun
• imaginatively adverb
• overimaginative adjective
• overimaginatively adverb
• overimaginativeness noun
• unimaginative adjective
• unimaginatively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of imaginative¹

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

Midjourney, on its website, describes itself as “an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species.”

From Los Angeles Times

Jen set out to write a memoir about her mother and realized without imaginative writing, she couldn’t show her mother’s full story.

From Los Angeles Times

It should build on the best of what each place already is and push that to its most imaginative conclusion.

From Los Angeles Times

At Craft in America Center, a family of strange and imaginative teapots are on display in “Tea for Two: The Teapots of Gloria and Sonny Kamm.”

From Los Angeles Times

The couple’s physical magnetism is at odds with their growing unhappiness, and in this discord, Shanks strikes imaginative new ways to portray how difficult it is to let someone go.

From Salon

Related Words

• artistic 
• extravagant 
• fanciful 
• fantastic 
• ingenious 
• offbeat 
• original 
• romantic 
• visionary 
• vivid 
• whimsical