Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

imaginative

/ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.45 in modern English

Syllables: i-ma-gi-na-tive
IPA: /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a lively or creative imagination.

adj

Tending to be fanciful or inventive.

adj

False or imagined.

Example Sentences

"an imaginative boy"
"No doubt kibitzers are highly imaginative. How else could they see wins and brilliant combinations that do not exist?"
"an imaginative story"
"From this point of view all philosophy is idealism, an imaginative embellishment of scientific knowledge; and, sure enough, Engels prophesies the decline and extinction of philosophy."

Etymology

From Middle English ymagynatif, from Middle French imaginatif, from Medieval Latin imāginātīvus. By surface analysis, imagine + -ative.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: ymagynatif, imaginatif, imāginātīvus

Inflected Forms

more imaginative (comparative) most imaginative (superlative)

Derived Forms

imaginatively imaginativeness imaginativity nonimaginative overimaginative unimaginative

Phrases

imaginative fiction

Synonyms

inventive

Questions

How do you pronounce imaginative?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/.
What does imaginative mean?: Having a lively or creative imagination.
Where does imaginative come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce imaginative

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “imaginative”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “imaginative”.
Repeat and practice — Say “imaginative” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.