figment: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, literary, occasionally journalistic.
Quick answer
What does “figment” mean?
A thing invented or imagined by the mind, especially an unreal or fabricated story or idea.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A thing invented or imagined by the mind, especially an unreal or fabricated story or idea.
An invention; a fabrication; something with no basis in reality, existing only as a product of imagination or falsehood.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling and pronunciation are consistent.
Connotations
Identical connotations of fabrication and unreality in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency and stylistically marked in both varieties, primarily found in written or formal spoken contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “figment” in a Sentence
[be] a figment of [possessive] imagination[dismiss/describe/dismiss] as a figmentVocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might be used metaphorically to dismiss an unrealistic market projection or fear. 'Their concerns about a total collapse are a figment of their imagination.'
Academic
Used in literary criticism, philosophy, or psychology to discuss the nature of reality, perception, and invented concepts. 'The monster is a figment of the protagonist's guilt.'
Everyday
Uncommon. Used to forcefully deny the reality of something. 'The ghost you saw was just a figment of your imagination.'
Technical
Rare outside of specific psychological or philosophical discourse.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “figment”
- Using it without 'of [the/one's] imagination' (e.g., 'It's just a figment' is incomplete).
- Misspelling as 'fragment'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is extremely rare and stylistically marked. The phrase 'figment of the imagination' is a fixed collocation that accounts for over 99% of usage. Using it alone ('a mere figment') is possible in literary contexts but not standard.
Not necessarily a conscious lie. It is something invented by the mind, which could be a harmless fantasy, a creative idea, or a pathological delusion. The key is that it lacks objective reality.
A 'fantasy' is a detailed and often pleasurable imagined scenario. A 'figment' is a more specific, often singular, invented thing or idea, and it is almost always used to emphasise its unreality, frequently in a dismissive way.
No. It is a low-frequency word, typical of C1/C2 (advanced) proficiency levels. It is most common in written English, particularly in literary, critical, or formal analytical contexts.
A thing invented or imagined by the mind, especially an unreal or fabricated story or idea.
Figment is usually formal, literary, occasionally journalistic. in register.
Figment: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡm(ə)nt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡmənt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “figment of one's imagination”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A FIG is a fruit; you can't build a solid argument with a fruit. A FIG-MENT is a mental construct as insubstantial as trying to build with figs.
Conceptual Metaphor
IDEAS ARE OBJECTS (but false ones are fragile/imaginary objects); THE MIND IS A CONTAINER (that produces figments).
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following sentences is 'figment' used CORRECTLY?