- [uncountable, countable]
the ability to create pictures in your mind; the part of your mind that does this 想象力；想象 a vivid/fertile imagination 生动的／丰富的想象 He has no imagination. 他缺乏想象力。 It doesn't take much imagination to guess what she meant. 不难猜出她的意思。 I won't tell you his reaction—I'll leave that to your imagination. 我不告诉你他的反应，你自己去想好了。 Don't let your imagination run away with you (= don't use too much imagination). 不要一味凭空想象。 The new policies appear to have captured the imagination of the public (= they find them interesting and exciting) 新政策似乎抓住了公众的想象力 His stories really stretch children’s imaginations. 他的故事真的拓展了孩子们的想象力。 - in your imagination
Nobody hates you—it's all in your imagination. 没人讨厌你，都是你在胡思乱想。 This is an image which persists in the popular imagination. 这是一个在大众想象中挥之不去的形象。 - (informal)
Use your imagination! (= used to tell somebody that they will have to guess the answer to the question they have asked you, usually because it is obvious or embarrassing) 你自己动动脑筋嘛！
Extra ExamplesDinosaurs caught and have held the imagination of us all because they seem like dragons. 恐龙外形像龙，因而激发了所有人的想象力。 His imagination conjured up a vision of the normal family life he had never had. 他脑海里勾画出一幅他从未体验过的普通家庭生活的场景。 I don't have a picture of this, so you'll just have to use your imagination. 这个我没有照片，所以你得发挥自己的想象了。 It's just a product of your fevered imagination! 那只是你狂热想象的产物！ Not by any stretch of the imagination could she be called beautiful. 再怎么说她也称不上漂亮。 The figure vanished as silently as if it had simply been a figment of her imagination. 那个人影无声无息地消失了，仿佛一切只是她的凭空想象。 The film haunted the imaginations of viewers. 那部影片让观众浮想联翩。 The scale of the disaster defied imagination. 灾难的规模超乎人们的想象。 Victorian writers fired the popular imagination with their tales of adventure. 维多利亚时期的作家用探险故事激发了大众的想象力。 Was it only her imagination playing tricks on her? 真的只是她的想象在作怪吗？ The Pyramids retain a remarkable hold on the human imagination. 金字塔一直保持着引发人类想象的巨大魅力。 She has a vivid imagination. 她想象力丰富。 How these characters have caught the imagination of children is unbelievable. 这些角色如何抓住了孩子们的想象力，令人难以置信。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- active
- creative
- …
- have
- show
- lack
- …
- conjure something up
- play tricks on you
- run away with you
- …
- beyond (your) imagination
- in the/your imagination
- with imagination
- …
- a lack of imagination
- a figment of somebody’s imagination
- a product of somebody’s imagination
- …
- [uncountable]
something that you have imagined rather than something that exists 想象的事物；幻想物 She was no longer able to distinguish between imagination and reality. 她再也分不清幻想和现实了。 Is it my imagination or have you lost a lot of weight? 是我的错觉，还是你确实瘦了许多？
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- active
- creative
- …
- have
- show
- lack
- …
- conjure something up
- play tricks on you
- run away with you
- …
- beyond (your) imagination
- in the/your imagination
- with imagination
- …
- a lack of imagination
- a figment of somebody’s imagination
- a product of somebody’s imagination
- …
- [uncountable] (approving)
the ability to have new and exciting ideas 创造力；创作力 His writing lacks imagination. 他写的东西缺乏想象。 With a little imagination, you could turn this place into a palace. 稍微动点脑筋，就能把这个地方变得富丽堂皇。 We are looking for someone with ingenuity and imagination. 我们正在寻找有独创性和想象力的人。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- active
- creative
- …
- have
- show
- lack
- …
- conjure something up
- play tricks on you
- run away with you
- …
- beyond (your) imagination
- in the/your imagination
- with imagination
- …
- a lack of imagination
- a figment of somebody’s imagination
- a product of somebody’s imagination
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin imaginatio(n-), from the verb imaginari ‘picture to oneself’, from imago, imagin- ‘image’.
Idioms
leave nothing/little to the imagination
not by any stretch of the imagination | by no stretch of the imagination