envisage

Definitions

From French envisager: en- (in) + visage ('face,' from Latin vīsus, sight) = 'to look in the face of.' To envisage something is to picture its face in your mind — to see a future scene before it happens. Closely paired with envision; envisage is more British and slightly more formal.

Example Sentences

• 1.

  We envisage completing the project by next spring.

• 2.

  It's hard to envisage life without the internet.

Easily Confused

envisage vs envision vs imagine — all mean 'picture in the mind,' but envisage/envision usually point at a planned or expected future (we envisage growth), while imagine is broader and can be pure fantasy (imagine you could fly). envision is the more American form.