Imagination vs. Fantasy: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on September 21, 2023
Imagination is the ability to form new ideas, while Fantasy is the imaginative conception of unreal or improbable scenarios.
Key Differences
Imagination refers to the human ability to visualize, create, and form new ideas, concepts, or images in the mind that have not been directly perceived through the senses. It is a cognitive process that is fundamental to problem-solving, creativity, and innovation. Fantasy, on the other hand, is a genre of imagination that deals specifically with the creation of unreal or improbable scenarios, often involving magical or supernatural elements, which do not exist in reality.
Imagination is an inherent mental ability that everyone possesses to some degree. It allows people to explore possibilities, envision alternatives, and consider potential solutions to problems. Fantasy, meanwhile, is a specific manifestation of imagination that is often characterized by a departure from reality, allowing individuals to explore and escape to different, often whimsical, worlds and scenarios.
Imagination serves as a tool for both artistic expression and practical problem-solving. It is not confined to any specific genre or subject and can relate to anything from science to art. In contrast, fantasy is a form of artistic expression that primarily serves as entertainment, providing an escape from reality through stories, games, and other media.
Imagination can be realistic or unrealistic, allowing for the creation of ideas that can be practical and applicable in real life or purely theoretical. Fantasy, by definition, is unrealistic and deals with scenarios, characters, and settings that are not possible in the known world, enabling the exploration of the impossible.
While imagination is often used to create new ideas or solutions that can be applied in the real world, fantasy is more about exploring the boundaries of the mind and experiencing the joy of the impossible. Both are essential for the development of creativity, critical thinking, and a sense of wonder and discovery.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Cognitive ability to form new ideas.
Conception of unreal scenarios.
Application
Problem-solving, innovation.
Entertainment, escape.
Relation to Reality
Can be realistic or unrealistic.
Inherently unrealistic.
Scope
Wide, not confined to any genre.
Specific genre of imagination.
Purpose
Exploration of possibilities, creativity.
Exploration of the impossible.
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Imagination and Fantasy Definitions
Imagination
Imagination is the formation of images or ideas in the mind.
With a bit of imagination, she transformed the ordinary room into a cozy sanctuary.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre characterized by unreal or magical elements.
The book is a fantasy filled with dragons and wizards.
Imagination
Imagination enables the visualization of things not actually present.
Through imagination, architects visualize structures before they are built.
Fantasy
Fantasy is inherently unrealistic and not bound by real-world limitations.
In the realm of fantasy, the laws of physics do not necessarily apply.
Imagination
Imagination is the creative faculty of the mind.
Children often have a vivid imagination, creating elaborate tales and games.
Fantasy
The creative imagination; unrestrained fancy.
Imagination
Imagination can generate both realistic and unrealistic ideas.
The scientist used her imagination to conceptualize theories about the universe.
Fantasy
Something, such as an invention, that is a creation of the fancy.
Imagination
The ability to form mental images of things that are not present to the senses or not considered to be real
The author uses her imagination to create a universe parallel to our own.
Fantasy
A capricious or fantastic idea; a conceit.
Imagination
The formation of such images
A child's imagination of monsters.
Fantasy
A genre of fiction or other artistic work characterized by fanciful or supernatural elements.
Imagination
One of these mental images
"some secret sense ... which ... took to itself and treasured up ... her thoughts, her imaginations, her desires" (Virginia Woolf).
Fantasy
A work of this genre.
Imagination
The mind viewed as the locus or repository of this ability or these images
"This story had been rattling around in my imagination for years" (Orson Scott Card).
Fantasy
An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need.
Imagination
The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind; resourcefulness
Handled the problems with great imagination.
Fantasy
An unrealistic or improbable supposition.
Imagination
Attention, interest, or enthusiasm
An explorer's ordeal that caught the imagination of the public.
Fantasy
(Music) See fantasia.
Imagination
The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images.
Imagination is one of the most advanced human faculties.
Fantasy
A coin issued especially by a questionable authority and not intended for use as currency.
Imagination
Particularly, construction of false images; fantasizing.
You think someone's been following you? That's just your imagination.
Fantasy
(Obsolete) A hallucination.
Imagination
Creativity; resourcefulness.
His imagination makes him a valuable team member.
Fantasy
Relating to or being a game in which participants act as owners of imaginary sports teams whose personnel consists of actual players selected from a professional sports league and team performance is determined by the combined statistics of the players.
Imagination
A mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; something imagined.
Fantasy
To imagine; visualize.
Imagination
The imagine-making power of the mind; the power to create or reproduce ideally an object of sense previously perceived; the power to call up mental imagines.
Our simple apprehension of corporeal objects, if present, is sense; if absent, is imagination.
Imagination is of three kinds: joined with belief of that which is to come; joined with memory of that which is past; and of things present, or as if they were present.
Fantasy
That which comes from one's imagination.
Imagination
The representative power; the power to reconstruct or recombine the materials furnished by direct apprehension; the complex faculty usually termed the plastic or creative power; the fancy.
The imagination of common language - the productive imagination of philosophers - is nothing but the representative process plus the process to which I would give the name of the "comparative."
The power of the mind to decompose its conceptions, and to recombine the elements of them at its pleasure, is called its faculty of imagination.
The business of conception is to present us with an exact transcript of what we have felt or perceived. But we have moreover a power of modifying our conceptions, by combining the parts of different ones together, so as to form new wholes of our creation. I shall employ the word imagination to express this power.
Fantasy
(literature) The literary genre generally dealing with themes of magic and the supernatural, imaginary worlds and creatures, etc.
Imagination
The power to recombine the materials furnished by experience or memory, for the accomplishment of an elevated purpose; the power of conceiving and expressing the ideal.
The lunatic, the lover, and the poetAre of imagination all compact . . . The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven,And as imagination bodies forthThe forms of things unknown, the poet's penTurns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothingA local habitation and a name.
Fantasy
A fantastical design.
Imagination
A mental image formed by the action of the imagination as a faculty; a conception; a notion.
The same power, which we should call fancy if employed on a production of a light nature, would be dignified with the title of imagination if shown on a grander scale.
Fantasy
(slang) The drug gamma-hydroxybutyric acid.
Imagination
The formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses;
Popular imagination created a world of demons
Imagination reveals what the world could be
Fantasy
To fantasize (about).
Imagination
The ability to form mental images of things or events;
He could still hear her in his imagination
Fantasy
(obsolete) To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like.
Imagination
The ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems;
A man of resource
Fantasy
(transitive) To imagine; to conceive mentally.
Imagination
Imagination is the mental ability to create new ideas or concepts.
His imagination allowed him to devise innovative solutions to complex problems.
Fantasy
Fancy; imagination; especially, a whimsical or fanciful conception; a vagary of the imagination; whim; caprice; humor.
Is not this something more than fantasy ?
A thousand fantasiesBegin to throng into my memory.
Fantasy
Fantastic designs.
Embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread.
Fantasy
To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like; to fancy.
Which he doth most fantasy.
Fantasy
Imagination unrestricted by reality;
A schoolgirl fantasy
Fantasy
Fiction with a large amount of fantasy in it;
She made a lot of money writing romantic fantasies
Fantasy
Something many people believe that is false;
They have the illusion that I am very wealthy
Fantasy
Fantasy involves the creation of imaginary worlds and characters.
His latest fantasy novel explores a world where time operates differently.
Fantasy
Fantasy provides an escape from reality.
Many turn to fantasy literature as a form of escapism from the mundane everyday life.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a specific manifestation of imagination.
The artist used his fantasy to paint a scene where water flowed upwards.
FAQs
Is fantasy a form of imagination?
Yes, fantasy is a specific genre or manifestation of imagination, dealing with unreal scenarios.
Is imagination essential for innovation?
Absolutely, imagination is crucial for envisioning new possibilities and innovations.
Can everyone use imagination?
Yes, everyone possesses imagination to some degree, allowing the formation of new ideas or images.
Can imagination be realistic?
Yes, imagination can generate ideas that are both realistic and applicable in real life.
What is the purpose of imagination?
Imagination serves to create new ideas or concepts and is fundamental to problem-solving and creativity.
Does fantasy serve as entertainment?
Yes, fantasy primarily serves as a form of entertainment, allowing escape from reality.
Can fantasy be used for problem-solving?
Typically, fantasy is not used for problem-solving but serves as an escape and entertainment.
Is fantasy always unrealistic?
Yes, fantasy involves unreal or improbable scenarios that do not exist in the real world.
Is fantasy confined to a specific genre?
Fantasy is a specific genre characterized by the presence of magical or unreal elements.
Can imagination lead to practical solutions?
Yes, imagination can lead to practical and innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Does imagination involve visualization?
Yes, imagination involves the ability to visualize things that are not actually present.
Is fantasy inherently a departure from reality?
Yes, fantasy is inherently a departure from reality, focusing on unreal or magical elements.
Is imagination confined to any subject or genre?
No, imagination is not confined to any specific subject or genre and can relate to anything from science to art.
Can fantasy explore the impossible?
Absolutely, fantasy allows the exploration of impossible and whimsical scenarios and worlds.
Can imagination and fantasy enhance creativity?
Yes, both imagination and fantasy are essential for the development of creativity and a sense of wonder.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
