Imagine Synonyms | Uses & Example Sentences

The verb imagine means “to form a mental image of” or “to think something is true.”

Some synonyms for imagine are:

  • Think of
  • Conceive
  • Visualize
  • Envision
  • Fancy
  • Dream of
  • Fantasize about
  • Assume
  • Presume
  • Believe
  • Suppose
  • Speculate
  • Consider

QuillBot’s Paraphraser can help you find other synonyms for “imagine” to reflect your intended style and meaning.

Synonyms for imagine

Some synonyms for imagine are stronger than others. For example, you can almost always replace imagine with “envision” because their meanings are very similar.

On the other hand, “fantasize about” isn’t a direct replacement for imagine. You can imagine anything—whether good or bad—but “fantasize about” denotes thinking about something desired. So while imagine can have positive, negative, or neutral connotations, the synonym “fantasize about” generally connotes something positive.

Synonyms for imagine meaning to form a mental image of
Match Synonym Imagine example Synonym example
Strongest Envision She could easily imagine herself living in that peaceful countryside home. She could easily envision herself living in that peaceful countryside home.
Conceive The scientists imagined a new way to harness solar energy. The scientists conceived a new way to harness solar energy.
Visualize Before the competition, the athlete would imagine crossing the finish line first. Before the competition, the athlete would visualize crossing the finish line first.
Picture Can you imagine what the world will look like in a hundred years? Can you picture what the world will look like in a hundred years?
Conceptualize They imagined a new way to approach the problem. They conceptualized a new way to approach the problem.
Devise She imagined an innovative solution that could revolutionize the industry. She devised an innovative solution that could revolutionize the industry.
Strong Dream of She spent her afternoons imagining traveling the world. She spent her afternoons dreaming of traveling the world.
Fancy He liked to imagine himself as a famous detective, solving intricate mysteries. He liked to fancy himself as a famous detective, solving intricate mysteries.
Brainstorm The team met to imagine solutions. The team met to brainstorm solutions.
Speculate about The economists imagined the potential effects of the new financial policy. The economists speculated about the potential effects of the new financial policy.
Weak Think up He always imagines new solutions to complex problems. He always thinks up new solutions to complex problems.
Think of The child loved to imagine fantasy worlds inspired by fairy tales. The child loved to think of fantasy worlds inspired by fairy tales.
Make up My sister is great at imagining questions for truth and dare. My sister is great at making up questions for truth and dare.
Fantasize about He would often imagine winning the lottery and buying a private island. He would often fantasize about winning the lottery and buying a private island.

When imagine means “to think something is true,” it’s generally informal and more often used in speech than writing.

However, many of the synonyms for this meaning are formal. For example, you could see “suppose” or “surmise” in academic writing. “Reckon” is an exception here and, like imagine, is more informal.

Synonyms for imagine meaning to think something is true
Match Synonym Imagine example Synonym example
Strongest Suppose I imagine we will have an exam on Monday. I suppose we will have an exam on Monday.
Assume We imagine he’ll come to the party. We assume he’ll come to the party.
Presume The lights are on, so I imagine someone is home. The lights are on, so I presume someone is home.
Believe The politicians imagine the policy will pass with a majority vote. The politicians believe the policy will pass with a majority vote.
Strong Guess I imagine we’ll have to walk. I guess we’ll have to walk.
Surmise He imagined that something must be wrong. He surmised that something must be wrong.
Infer Based on the clues, you can imagine what they’re planning. Based on the clues, you can infer what they’re planning.
Think I imagine Sarah will take the job offer. I think Sarah will take the job offer.
Expect I imagine he’ll call us when he arrives. I expect he’ll call us when he arrives.
Weak Consider Imagine a world without borders. Consider a world without borders.
Reckon I imagine it won’t rain today. I reckon it won’t rain today.
Estimate She imagines it will take about three days to finish the project. She estimates it will take about three days to finish the project.
Conjecture Many imagined that the data was misinterpreted. Many conjectured that the data was misinterpreted.
Note
Imagine is primarily used as a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object (e.g., “Imagine a female protagonist” or “I imagined a beautiful Hawaiian sunset”).

Most of its synonyms are also used this way (e.g., “I visualized a beautiful Tahitian sunset” or “We estimate three hours”).

If you’re not sure if you’re using a synonym for imagine correctly, a QuillBot Grammar Check can help.

Frequently asked questions about imagine synonyms

What’s a synonym for as you can imagine?

Synonyms for “as you can imagine” include:

  • As you can probably tell
  • As you might expect
  • As you can suppose
  • As you might assume
  • As you can guess
  • As you would anticipate
  • As you must know

You can get more synonyms for “as you can imagine” by choosing a synonym for imagine and adding “as you can” before it.

QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you find synonyms like these and use them correctly.

What’s a synonym for I can’t imagine?

Some synonyms for the verb phrase “I can’t imagine” are:

  • I can’t conceive
  • I can’t envision
  • I can’t visualize
  • It’s hard to picture
  • It’s hard to fathom
  • It’s difficult to comprehend
  • It’s difficult to conceptualize

For more options, choose a synonym for imagine and add “I can’t” in front of it, or use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to rewrite your sentence.

What’s a synonym for I can only imagine?

Synonyms for the verb phrase “I can only imagine” include:

  • I can just envision
  • I can only suppose
  • I can only guess
  • I can only speculate about
  • I can just picture
  • I can only dream of
  • I can only fathom

You can create more synonyms for “I can only imagine” by finding and modifying synonyms for imagine, and QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you do this.

What’s an antonym for imagine?

Antonyms for the verb “imagine” include:

  • Ignore
  • Disregard
  • Neglect
  • Doubt
  • Overlook
  • Reject

In some cases, you can use these antonyms for “imagine” without making other changes to your sentence. In other cases, you’ll have to rewrite the sentence slightly.

Antonym for imagine examples
  • They always imagined their son would go to college.
  • They always doubted their son would go to college.
  • They imagined a new way to approach the problem.
  • They neglected to think of a new way to approach the problem.
  • They neglected a new way to approach the problem.
  • We can imagine her as our boss.
  • We reject the idea of her as our boss.
  • We can reject her as our boss.

QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you rewrite any sentence to accommodate antonyms of imagine or synonyms of imagine.

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Kate Santoro, BS

Kate has a BS in journalism. She has taught English as a second language in Spain to students of all ages for a decade. She also has experience in content management and marketing.