What does figment mean?
Figment is a noun referring to something that exists only in the imagination — an invented idea, belief, or image that has no basis in reality. It is most often encountered in the fixed phrase 'a figment of the imagination,' used to dismiss a claim, sighting, or fear as purely imaginary: the shadow in the doorway was a figment, not an intruder. The word carries a mildly literary tone and typically appears in contexts where reality itself is being questioned, whether playfully (childhood monsters), skeptically (rumors and conspiracies), or clinically (delusions). Its connotation leans toward dismissal: calling something a figment denies its truth outright. Derived from the Latin fingere, meaning to shape or fashion — the same root behind 'fiction' and 'figure' — figment literally means 'a thing made.' That heritage makes it a precise and evocative word for anything crafted not from wood or stone but from the mind alone.
nounA thing that someone imagines or invents, especially something that does not really exist; an invented idea, belief, or fabrication presented as if it were real.
- Something imagined or invented that has no real existence; a product of the imagination.
- A fabricated story or false notion presented as fact.
"The monster under the bed was a figment of the child's imagination."
"The conspiracy turned out to be nothing more than a figment of an overactive imagination."
"Critics dismissed the alleged sighting as a figment conjured by wishful thinking."
The plural exists but is rarely used; figment almost always appears in the singular, usually preceded by the indefinite article.
"The novel blurs the line between memories and figments until the reader can no longer tell them apart."
Every ghost story you've ever dismissed as 'just your imagination' owes its dismissal to the same Latin root that gave us fiction — because a figment is literally a thing that has been made up.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of figment
Figment comes from the Latin figmentum, meaning 'something fashioned or devised,' which derives from the verb fingere, 'to shape, form, or invent.' The word entered English in the late sixteenth century via French or directly from Latin scholarly usage. It shares this Latin root with 'fiction,' 'fictitious,' 'figure,' and 'feint,' all of which carry some sense of shaping, forming, or inventing.
Related word forms
How figment is actually used
Figment is almost always used in negative or dismissive contexts to deny the reality of something, and by far the most common form is the fixed phrase 'a figment of the imagination.' It carries a slightly literary register and implies deliberate invention or self-deception rather than mere error. The plural is rare.
Easily confused with figment
Pigment is a colored substance used for painting or dyeing, while figment is something imaginary that exists only in the mind — the two are near-homophones with entirely unrelated meanings.