envision, envisage

envision, envisage
These words are so often used interchangeably by knowledgeable speakers and writers that distinctions in meaning have vanished. In strict usage, envision means "to have a vision," "to foresee," whereas envisage has more a meaning of facing, seeing face to face, or confronting: "Even when desperately ill he could never envision a life of inactivity." "In his outlook for the city, the mayor envisaged definite plans for slum clearance." Both words are so ponderous that neither should be used in ordinary circumstances.

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • envision — See envision, envisage …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • envisage — See envision, envisage …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • envision — envisage, envision 1. Envisage is an early 19c loanword from French, meaning at first ‘to look in the face of’ and then (its current meaning) ‘to have a mental picture of (something yet to happen)’. Fowler (1926) dismissed it as an ‘undesirable… …   Modern English usage

  • envisage — envisage, envision 1. Envisage is an early 19c loanword from French, meaning at first ‘to look in the face of’ and then (its current meaning) ‘to have a mental picture of (something yet to happen)’. Fowler (1926) dismissed it as an ‘undesirable… …   Modern English usage

  • envisage —  , envision  Both words suggest the calling up of a mental image. Envision is slightly the loftier of the two. You might envision a better life for yourself, but if all you are thinking about is how the dining room will look when the walls have… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • envision — envisage, envision conceive, imagine, *think, realize, fancy Analogous words: view, behold, survey, contemplate (see SEE): objectify, externalize, materialize, *realize …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • envision — envisage / envision [v] picture in one’s mind anticipate, behold, conceive, conceptualize, contemplate, externalize, fancy, feature, foresee, form mental picture of*, grasp, have a picture of*, image, imagine, look upon, materialize, objectify,… …   New thesaurus

  • envision — ► VERB ▪ visualize; envisage …   English terms dictionary

  • envisage — envisage, envision conceive, imagine, *think, realize, fancy Analogous words: view, behold, survey, contemplate (see SEE): objectify, externalize, materialize, *realize …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • envisage — / envision [v] picture in one’s mind anticipate, behold, conceive, conceptualize, contemplate, externalize, fancy, feature, foresee, form mental picture of*, grasp, have a picture of*, image, imagine, look upon, materialize, objectify, predict,… …   New thesaurus

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