visualize

especially British, vis·u·al·ise

[vizh-oo-uh-lahyz]

verb (used without object)

visualized, visualizing 

1. to recall or form mental images or pictures.

verb (used with object)

visualized, visualizing 

1. to make visual or visible.

2. to form a mental image of.

3. to make perceptible to the mind or imagination.

visualize

/ ˈvɪʒʊəˌlaɪz, -zjʊ- /

verb

1. to form a mental image of (something incapable of being viewed or not at that moment visible)

2. med to view by means of an X-ray the outline of (a bodily organ, structure, or part)

Other Word Forms

• visualizer noun
• visualizable adjective
• visualization noun
• visualist noun
• nonvisualized adjective
• revisualization noun
• revisualize verb
• unvisualized adjective
• well-visualized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of visualize¹

First recorded in 1810–20; visual + -ize

Example Sentences

Before Greene starts sketching and building a new project, he spends time visualizing it, imaging what it could look like.

From Los Angeles Times

Even the sanest among us can visualize how brighter the world would look if last November’s election had gone the other way.

From Salon

“If she can visualize it, she can train her mind the opposite of her negative thoughts and feelings,” Hamby said.

From Los Angeles Times

I was visualizing my new startup job in sunny Manhattan Beach, thinking through onboarding and first impressions.

From Los Angeles Times

Mamdani visualized and created what a 2025 progressive coalition looks like in New York and recognized that it is going to look different than the past.

From Salon

Related Words

• anticipate 
• dream up 
• envision