imaginable

Imaginable is an adjective meaning capable of being imagined or conceived in the mind. It denotes something that can be formed as a mental image or concept, rather than describing external reality. The term often carries a sense of theoretical or hypothetical possibility rather than certainty.

Etymology: The word is built from the verb imagine plus the suffix -able. Its root traces to the noun image, from Latin imago, with the sense of forming mental pictures or concepts.

Usage: In usage, imaginable moments are those that a person can reasonably picture or mentally simulate. The terms imaginable and conceivable are close in meaning, but imaginable frequently emphasizes mental construction and subjectivity. In formal writing, conceivable is sometimes preferred when referring to objective possibility.

Examples: The most imaginable outcomes are rarely the most likely. A scenario that is beyond anything imaginable can still be described using hypothetical terms.

See also: imagine, imagination, conceive, conceivable, possible.