visualization

Other forms: visualizations

You can see it all so clearly: the mansion, the moat, the stable. Too bad it’s just a visualization, a mental image that looks so real it’s almost as if you’re seeing it. Time to buy another Lotto ticket.

Often the word is used as shorthand for creative visualization, a specific practice that started in the New Thought movement of the 19th century. The followers of that movement believed that if they visualized what they wanted, they would usually get it. Eventually the technique caught on with sports coaches, which is why if you've ever played basketball for a school team you've probably been told to picture the ball going into the basket before you take a shot.