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Imaginary vs Nonreal - What's the difference?

imaginary | nonreal |

In mathematics|lang=en terms the difference between imaginary and nonreal

is that imaginary is (mathematics) an imaginary quantity while nonreal is (mathematics) not real; not of the real numbers.

As adjectives the difference between imaginary and nonreal

is that imaginary is existing only in the imagination while nonreal is not real; unreal, imaginary.

As a noun imaginary

is imagination; fancy.

imaginary

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • existing only in the imagination
  • * Addison
  • Wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer / Imaginary ills and fancied tortures?
  • (mathematics) of a number, having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of the square root of -1.
  • Derived terms

    * imaginarily * imaginariness

    Noun

    (imaginaries)
  • Imagination; fancy.
  • * 2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, p. 324:
  • By then too Mozart's opera, from Da Ponte's libretto, had made Figaro a stock character in the European imaginary and set the whole Continent whistling Mozartian airs and chuckling at Figaresque humour.
  • (mathematics) An imaginary quantity.
  • nonreal

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Not real; unreal, imaginary.
  • (mathematics) Not real; not of the real numbers.