vision
Pluralvisions (some meanings)
Pluralvisions (some meanings)
Formsvisions, visioning, visioned
- 1The faculty or power of sight.
Her vision blurred as the migraine set in.
Owls rely on exceptional vision to hunt at night.
UsageUsed with no a: good vision, poor vision, blurred vision. A vision is something seen or imagined.
Oppositeblindness
Note
Early English used the word mostly for things seen in dreams or trances. In this sense it names the faculty of sight itself and takes no a (good vision, poor vision, blurred vision), while a vision is something seen or a dream or trance sight. Its Latin source, vīsiō, meant "seeing."
- 2An ideal or goal that someone aspires to reach.
Her vision for the company centered on fair pay for all workers.
The architect presented a bold vision for the new waterfront.
UsageOften a vision for something (her vision for the company), and often with clear, bold or shared.
Similargoal, aim, dream, ideal, aspiration
- 3A picture or idea formed in the imagination, especially of something that might happen or exist.
A sudden vision of the wedding day filled her with joy.
The general described his vision of how the battle would unfold.
UsageUsually a vision of something; have visions of (had visions of missing the plane) is a common way to say you pictured it.
- 4A forward-thinking outlook; the broad capacity to aspire and plan ahead.
What set her apart as a founder was sheer vision.
The committee's report showed no vision at all.
UsageUsed with no a: a leader shows vision, a plan lacks vision. A vision is one particular goal.
Similarforesight, imagination, insight, farsightedness
Oppositeshortsightedness
- 5Something a person seems to see in a dream, trance, religious experience or illness that is not really there.
The mystic recorded a vision of angels descending the staircase.
During his fast, the monk received a vision of a divine light.
UsagePeople have, see or receive a vision, usually a vision of someone or something.
- 6Anything that is seen or that presents itself to the eye, such as a scene, a person, or an object.
When the smoke finally cleared, the harbor lay before them, a grim vision of sunken boats and blackened piers.
From the train window she caught a fleeting vision of the coast, gray cliffs and a single lighthouse, before the tunnel swallowed the view.
Note
Here the word turns from the act of seeing to the thing seen, which is what Latin visus, "that which is seen," already meant. In this sense a vision is something in front of the eyes, such as a harbor at sunrise or a city skyline. That separates it from the dreamed or mystical sight, where the same word names something that is not there.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The Latin noun visus could mean a thing seen. mobot.org
Less common meanings
- 7Someone or something that is exceptionally beautiful to look at.
She descended the staircase, a vision in emerald silk.
The restored ballroom was a vision, gilded and gleaming under the chandeliers.
UsageOften a vision in a color or clothing: a vision in white. Sometimes a vision of loveliness.
Oppositeeyesore
- 8To picture something in the mind as if it were real or seen in a vision; to envision.
Leaders must vision a better future before they can build it.
At the planning meeting, residents broke into small groups to vision how the old rail yard might serve the neighborhood in twenty years.
UsageEnvision is the more common verb for this; vision as a verb turns up mostly in planning talk.
- 9To provide someone with a vision.
Similarinspire
- 10Video pictures or footage for broadcast, whether recorded or live.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
This word came through Middle English visioun and Anglo-Norman/Old French vision from Latin vīsiō ("vision, seeing"), an action noun built from visus ("seen"), the participle of the verb videō ("I see").
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- English vision came through Middle English and Anglo-Norman/Old French from Latin. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin vīsiō meant vision or seeing and was an action noun. en.wiktionary.org
- Vīsiō was formed from the participle vīsus. en.wiktionary.org
- The participle vīsus means 'seen' or 'having been seen'. 'A thing seen' is a meaning of the separate noun vīsus. en.wiktionary.org
- Visus is a participle of videō, whose first-person present form means I see. en.wiktionary.org