imaginary creature
- noun
- Literature
:
criatura imaginaria
- The artist created a series of paintings inspired by imaginary creatures from his childhood dreams.
Examples
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By alluding to the myth of the muses, Moulsworth brings out an important point for women living in such a patriarchal culture: the muses, who were possibly the only role models for literate women, were mythical, imaginary creatures.
Fiction book (1996) -
Many cultures have legends filled with imaginary creatures that symbolize various human traits and fears.
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You know, uh, those little imaginary creatures.
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The succubus isn't an imaginary creature.
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He employed a "Maxwell demon" (an imaginary creature) to reverse the direction of half the stars in a spherical cluster.
Academic text (1993) -
In the story, children often encounter imaginary creatures that help them learn important lessons.
Synonyms
4
5.9
An imaginary being like a dragon or unicorn with magical powers
4
9.9
A thing that seems real but is only in the mind, like a ghost
1
6.5
A made-up creature from old stories or folk tales
1
7.0
A made-up animal or being from old stories that people often say is real
A creature that people imagine and that is not real
An animal that only appears in stories and myths, not in real life
How Real
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'imaginary' (not real, only in the mind) simply modifies 'creature' (a living being), so the combined meaning ('a being that exists only in the imagination') follows immediately from the constituents. This adjective + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be readily understood by a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The noun imaginary creature comes from two simple parts: imaginary (made in the mind) and creature (a living being). People long ago made up monsters and strange animals in stories to explain things or teach lessons, so an imaginary creature means a being that is 'not real' and exists only in stories or the mind.