Standard Lemma guide

envisage

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɛnˈvɪzɪd͡ʒ/
  • /ɪnˈvɪzɪd͡ʒ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: EH0 N V IH1 Z IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To conceive or see something within one's mind; to imagine or envision.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Can you conceive of him as the president?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imagine, conceive of, ideate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: create by mental act, create mentally

Narrower terms: visualize, visualise, envision, project, fancy, see, figure, picture, image, foresee, fantasize, fantasise, prefigure, think, fantasy, dream, daydream, woolgather, stargaze

History

Etymology

From French envisager, from en (“in”) + visage (“visage”); equivalent to en- + visage.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: представям си (predstavjam si) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Danish: forestille — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Finnish: kuvitella — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Finnish: visioida — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Finnish: nähdä mielessään — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Finnish: kaavailla — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • French: envisager — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • French: prévoir — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • German: vorstellen — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Greek: οραματίζομαι (oramatízomai) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Greek: φαντάζομαι (fantázomai) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Hungarian: előrelát — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Hungarian: elképzel — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Polish: przedstawiać — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Portuguese: imaginar — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Portuguese: conjeturar — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Russian: представля́ть (predstavljátʹ) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Russian: вообража́ть (voobražátʹ) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Russian: обду́мывать (obdúmyvatʹ) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Russian: размышля́ть (razmyšljátʹ) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Russian: рассма́тривать (rassmátrivatʹ) — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: замислити — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: предочити — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: zamisliti — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: predočiti — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Spanish: visualizar — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Spanish: concebir — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Spanish: prever — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Spanish: imaginar — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Spanish: imaginarse — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Swedish: föreställa sig — to conceive or see something within in one's mind
  • Turkish: öngörmek — to conceive or see something within in one's mind