Difference Between Thought and Imagination

Thought vs Imagination

Thought and Imagination are two words that are often confused due to the appeared similarity in their meanings. They have to be understood with difference. Thought refers to mental impression or a mental process that continues to happen unless it is controlled. On the other hand imagination is a voluntary thought that is made by an effort. This is the main difference between thought and imagination.

Imagination is always voluntary in sense. You make an effort to imagine things either wildly or smoothly. Look at the sentences

1. He imagined he was flying in the sky.

2. She imagined as if she was living in a palace.

In both the sentences given above the use of the word ‘imagine’ is to indicate the meaning of ‘forceful thinking’. In the first sentence the word ‘imagine’ is used to indicate the meaning that ‘he forcefully thought he was flying in the sky.’ In the second sentence the word ‘imagine’ is used to indicate the meaning that ‘she forcefully thought that she was living in a palace’.

It is important to note that the imagination has to come to an end at some point of time. On the other hand thoughts continue to occur until they are totally controlled. Great sages of the past have tried their best to control their thoughts. A thought is a flow whereas an imagination is a creation. This is the most important difference between the two words.

It is interesting to note that the word ‘thought’ is often followed by the preposition ‘of’ and ‘about’. On the other hand the word ‘imagination’ is often followed by the preposition ‘about’ and ‘of’. The verb forms of both the words are ‘think’ and ‘imagine’ respectively. These are the differences between the two words ‘imagination’ and ‘thought.’