The difference between Fictitious and Imaginary

When used as adjectives, fictitious means invented, whereas imaginary means existing only in the imagination.


Imaginary is also noun with the meaning: imagination.

check bellow for the other definitions of Fictitious and Imaginary

  1. Fictitious as an adjective:

    invented; contrived.

    Examples:

    "St. Mary Mead is a fictitious village from the books of Agatha Christie."

  1. Imaginary as an adjective:

    Existing only in the imagination.

    Examples:

    "Santa Claus is imaginary."

  2. Imaginary as an adjective (mathematics, of a number):

    Having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of the square root of -1.

  1. Imaginary as a noun:

    Imagination; fancy.

  2. Imaginary as a noun (mathematics):

    An imaginary quantity.

  3. Imaginary as a noun (sociology):

    The set of values, institutions, laws, and symbols common to a particular social group and the corresponding society through which people imagine their social whole.

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