CONCEIVE Synonyms: 118 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'conceive' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of conceive are envisage , envision , fancy , imagine , realize , and think . While all these words mean "to form an idea of," conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design. // conceived of a new marketing approach

Q: How do 'envisage' and 'envision' relate to one another, in the sense of 'conceive'?

Both envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed. // envisaged a totally computerized operation // envisioned a cure for the disease

Q: When could 'fancy' be used to replace 'conceive'?

Although the words fancy and conceive have much in common, fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires. // fancied himself a super athlete

Q: In what contexts can 'imagine' take the place of 'conceive'?

While in some cases nearly identical to conceive , imagine stresses a visualization. // imagine you're at the beach

Q: When would 'realize' be a good substitute for 'conceive'?

The synonyms realize and conceive are sometimes interchangeable, but realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined. // realized the enormity of the task ahead

Q: When can 'think' be used instead of 'conceive'?

In some situations, the words think and conceive are roughly equivalent. However, think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection. // I just thought of a good joke

conceive

verb

kən-ˈsēv

Definition of conceive next

as in to imagine

to form a mental picture of it takes an idealist to conceive a world without war, and an activist to make it happen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to understand

to have a clear idea of I cannot conceive the reason for such pointless vandalism

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to think

to have as an opinion I just can't conceive that he would have lied

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word conceive distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of conceive are envisage, envision, fancy, imagine, realize, and think. While all these words mean "to form an idea of," conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.

conceived of a new marketing approach

How do envisage and envision relate to one another, in the sense of conceive?

Both envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.

envisaged a totally computerized operation

envisioned a cure for the disease

When could fancy be used to replace conceive?

Although the words fancy and conceive have much in common, fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.

fancied himself a super athlete

In what contexts can imagine take the place of conceive?

While in some cases nearly identical to conceive, imagine stresses a visualization.

imagine you're at the beach

When would realize be a good substitute for conceive?

The synonyms realize and conceive are sometimes interchangeable, but realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.

realized the enormity of the task ahead

When can think be used instead of conceive?

In some situations, the words think and conceive are roughly equivalent. However, think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.

I just thought of a good joke

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of conceive Essay Our Symptoms, Ourselves Alexandra Kimball Mad Pride, a global movement with Toronto roots, conceives of madness as an identity—personal, cultural, political—rather than an illness. —

Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025 After one of the couple’s twin daughters had a baby, DNA testing revealed that the baby and the twins were related only to the woman who had conceived with the help of Danzer — not to her husband who provided his sperm for his wife’s insemination. —

Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 Originally conceived by Bond author Ian Fleming as a bedtime story for his son Casper, his 1964 novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was previously adapted into a 1967 film directed by Ken Hughes off a script by Roald Dahl, Hughes and Richard Maibaum. —

Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2024 The problem involves Turing machines, some of the simplest possible computing devices, first conceived by Alan Turing as a model for a general computer and now easily simulated online (opens a new tab). —

Bill Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conceive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceive

Verb

Watkins imagines a future database in which each parcel of land is inspected for fire-readiness, so that each neighborhood can be profiled for fire safety and insurers can price rates accordingly.

Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2025
The spectacle here is one based on literalism: nothing need be imagined ever again.

Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2025