imaginary
gb/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi/ us/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi/
B1
Anglais
~ 5700
Sens
0 sens
adjective
B1
property
1
not real, only in the mind
Not real; only in your mind, not in the real world.
Schéma d’usage :
an imaginary [thing/person/place]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often confuse "imaginary" with "imaginative". "Imaginary" means not real and only in the mind, while "imaginative" describes a person who has a lot of creative ideas.
Synonymes
fictional (Often used for invented characters or stories in books, films, or games.)
|
unreal (Can mean not real in fact, but sometimes focuses more on something seeming strange or unbelievable.)
Antonymes
real (Emphasizes actual existence in the world, not just in the mind.)
|
actual (Stresses that something truly exists or happened, not just in thought or description.)
Collocations
imaginary friend
|imaginary world
|purely imaginary
|imaginary line
|imaginary scenario
|largely imaginary
Thèmes
thinking
|perception
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- As a child, she had an imaginary friend who went everywhere with her.
- The danger he described was mostly imaginary, not something we really needed to worry about.
- The story takes place in an imaginary city somewhere in the Pacific.
- He lives in an imaginary world where nothing ever goes wrong.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Many children talk to an imaginary friend.
- The monster under the bed is imaginary.
- She wrote a story about an imaginary country.
- His fears about losing his job were mostly imaginary.
adjective
technical
C1
property
2
mathematical, involving √−1
In math, used about numbers that include the special value √−1, called i, and are not real numbers.
Schéma d’usage :
an imaginary [number/part/unit]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think "imaginary" in math means the numbers are "fake" or "not important". In fact, imaginary numbers are well-defined and very important in higher mathematics, physics, and engineering.
Synonymes
non-real (Technical term in mathematics meaning not a real number; often used together with "imaginary" when classifying numbers.)
Antonymes
real (In mathematics, refers to numbers on the real number line, contrasted with imaginary numbers.)
Collocations
imaginary number
|imaginary unit
|imaginary part
|imaginary axis
|imaginary component
Thèmes
mathematics
|science
|education
Exemples
- In this equation, x is a real number and y is an imaginary number.
- Every complex number can be written as a real part plus an imaginary part.
- The imaginary unit, usually written as i, is defined as the square root of minus one.
Exemples pédagogiques
- In algebra class we learned about imaginary numbers.
- A complex number has a real part and an imaginary part.
- The symbol i is used for the imaginary unit.
Nom
technical
C2
entity
3
an imaginary number in math
In math, an "imaginary" is a number that is a real number times √−1.
Schéma d’usage :
an imaginary
Synonymes
imaginary number (More explicit and more common in modern textbooks; "imaginary" as a noun is shorter and used in some technical writing.)
Antonymes
real number (A number that is not imaginary; lies on the continuous number line.)
Collocations
a pure imaginary
|positive imaginary
|negative imaginary
|imaginaries and reals
Thèmes
mathematics
|science
|education
Exemples
- In this context, z is a pure imaginary, with no real part.
- The solution of the equation is not a real number but an imaginary.
- Engineers often work with imaginaries when analyzing alternating current circuits.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The answer is not a real number; it is an imaginary.
- In higher math, students learn about reals and imaginaries.
- This equation has two solutions, both of them imaginaries.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
imaginary
API
GB/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi/
US/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi/
Syllabes et accentuation
ima - gin - ary (3 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gin)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: imaginary
Noun
- Base: imaginary
- Plural: imaginaries
Famille de mots
Forms
imaginaries
noun
Core family
Related words
imaginable
adjective
imaginatively
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unimaginable
adjective C1
unimaginative
adjective
Expressions
imaginary friend
1/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi fɹˈɛnd/
fixed phrase
a made-up friend in the mind
A friend that someone, especially a child, makes up in their mind and talks or plays with as if the friend is real.
Exemples
- Their daughter talks to her imaginary friend every night before bed.
- As a child, I had an imaginary friend who went on adventures with me.
imaginary line
1/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi lˈaɪn/
fixed phrase
a non-physical dividing line
A line that people talk about for maps, borders, or explanations, but that you cannot see or touch in the real world.
Exemples
- The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.
- There is an imaginary line between work and home that he tries not to cross with his problems.
imaginary number
1/ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi nˈʌmbɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
number involving √−1 in math
In math, a number that is a real number times √−1, written with the symbol i.
Exemples
- The equation x² + 1 = 0 has two imaginary numbers as solutions.
- Imaginary numbers are used together with real numbers to form complex numbers.
purely imaginary
1/pjˈʊɹli ɪmˈæd͡ʒɪnˌɛɹi/
fixed phrase
technical
complex number with no real part
In math, used for a complex number that has no real part, only an imaginary part.
Exemples
- If the real part is zero, the complex number is purely imaginary.
- The solutions to this equation are purely imaginary and lie on the vertical axis of the complex plane.