imaginative

imaginative — adjective

1. An imaginative idea, story, or design is one that is fresh, unusual, and based o

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

An imaginative idea, story, or design is one that is fresh, unusual, and based on someone's original thinking rather than on a familiar pattern.

Example

The children's book won an award for its imaginative illustrations and clever story.

attributive use before a noun

Ari came up with an imaginative way to recycle old bottles into garden pots.

collocation: imaginative way to + infinitive

Common collocations
  • imaginative use of
  • imaginative approach
  • imaginative idea
  • imaginative solution
  • imaginative design
  • imaginative story
Synonyms
  • creative

    more general; 'imaginative' emphasises thinking that goes beyond what is expected

  • inventive

    focuses on practical problem-solving or new devices; 'imaginative' can be purely artistic

  • original

    stresses that something is unlike anything seen before; 'imaginative' also allows for clever reworking of existing ideas

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

imaginative + noun

be/seem + imaginative

Common Mistakes

My little sister has an imaginary friend who lives under the bed.' (when you mean creative).
My little sister is very imaginative
she tells amazing stories.' — 'imaginary' means 'not real'; 'imaginative' means 'showing creativity'.

2. Someone who is imaginative can easily come up with new or surprising ideas and f

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Someone who is imaginative can easily come up with new or surprising ideas and find clever ways to deal with problems or create things.

Example

Hao is an imaginative child who turns cardboard boxes into spaceships and castles.

predicative use: is imaginative

The company hired Saira because she was imaginative and found fresh solutions to old problems.

Common collocations
  • imaginative child
  • imaginative person
  • imaginative mind
  • highly imaginative
  • wildly imaginative
  • extremely imaginative
Synonyms
  • creative

    very similar; 'imaginative' leans toward daydreaming and mental invention, while 'creative' often includes artistic skill

  • inventive

    stronger emphasis on creating practical or mechanical solutions

  • resourceful

    focuses on solving problems with limited materials; 'imaginative' can be purely playful or artistic

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + imaginative

highly / wildly / very + imaginative

Usage Note

Commonly modified by degree adverbs: 'highly imaginative', 'extremely imaginative', 'wildly imaginative'. The comparative and superlative forms ('more imaginative', 'most imaginative') are also frequent.

Common Mistakes

She is imaginative about monsters in her closet.' (confusing with vision/hallucination).
She has an imaginative mind that comes up with wonderful stories.
'imaginative' describes creative thinking, not seeing things that are not there.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Imaginative, creative, inventive, resourceful, and original all describe people who generate new ideas, but they differ in emphasis. Imaginative highlights the ability to form vivid mental images and conceive of things that do not yet exist — it is the broadest term and can apply to art, play, or problem-solving. Creative is very similar but often carries an additional sense of artistic skill or production (a creative writer makes something tangible). Inventive places the focus on practical novelty, especially technical or mechanical solutions (an inventive engineer builds a new device). Resourceful is narrower: it describes someone who makes good use of whatever is available, often under difficult circumstances. Original stresses that the person's thinking is entirely their own and unlike anyone else's. For example, a child who turns a cardboard box into a spaceship is both imaginative and inventive; a refugee who survives a long journey with very little is resourceful but not necessarily imaginative; a painter who develops a completely new style is original.

creative ↗inventive ↗resourcefuloriginal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • imaginative mind
  • imaginative person
  • imaginative thinker

Adverbs

  • highly imaginative
  • very imaginative
  • extremely imaginative
  • wildly imaginative
  • remarkably imaginative

Phrases

  • imaginative use of
  • imaginative way of
  • lack of imagination

Prepositions

  • imaginative in
  • imaginative with

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Imaginative comes from the Latin word 'imaginativus', meaning 'full of images or ideas', which is built on 'imago' (a likeness or image). It entered English through Old French in the late 1300s. The modern sense of 'having or showing creative thinking' developed by the 1500s, shifting from the original meaning of 'relating to mental images' to its current focus on originality and inventiveness.