everything imaginable

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "everything imaginable" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express the idea of including all possible things or concepts that one can think of. Example: "The store offers everything imaginable for your home, from furniture to decor."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Everything imaginable, Freeney answered.

The New York Times - Sports

Everything imaginable went awry.

The New York Times - Sports

Spectators wore everything imaginable.

The New York Times

Everything imaginable was dumped in the river.

The New York Times

"We track everything imaginable," Morey said.

The New York Times - Sports

The universe, by definition, holds everything imaginable and then some.

The New York Times

The program included almost everything imaginable except Ives.

The New York Times - Arts

You'd go there and see everything imaginable — drug dealers, contraband, whores, transvestites, everything".

The New Yorker

"They are buying everything imaginable," said Claudia Menezes, vice president of Pegasus.

The New York Times

One customer has helped me paint the place, put up shelving, everything imaginable.

The New York Times

The Fed did everything imaginable to avert a financial catastrophe — and succeeded.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Place the phrase after a verb (like "did", "tried" or "bought") or as the object of a preposition to provide a strong concluding emphasis to a sentence.

Common error

Avoid confusing "everything imaginable" with "everything imaginary". While the former refers to things that can be thought of as existing or happening, the latter refers specifically to things that are fictional or not real. If you are describing a store's inventory, "everything imaginable" is correct; "everything imaginary" would imply they sell ghosts and unicorns.

Linguistic Context

In linguistic terms, "everything imaginable" functions as a noun phrase where "everything" is the head pronoun and "imaginable" is a post-positive adjective. According to Ludwig, this structure is standard in English for adjectives ending in -able or -ible when they follow indefinite pronouns. It serves as a comprehensive quantifier, indicating a set that includes every possible member one can conceive.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Science & Research

10%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "everything imaginable" is a robust and effective phrase for expressing the highest degree of variety or effort. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a grammatically correct and stylistically favored choice across a wide spectrum of high-authority sources. Whether you are describing a marketplace with a vast inventory or a medical team's exhaustive diagnostic efforts, this phrase provides a sense of completion and rhetorical weight. It is especially useful in professional writing where you want to convey thoroughness without resorting to long, tedious lists.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

every conceivable thing

Shifts focus to the ability to form a mental concept of the items.

anything you can think of

More informal and conversational than the original phrase.

all manner of things

Slightly more literary or old-fashioned in tone.

everything under the sun

An idiomatic expression that adds a touch of figurative flair.

every possible thing

Focuses on potentiality rather than imagination.

all that one can think of

A more formal, slightly more detached construction.

everything but the kitchen sink

An idiom specifically used when a list is excessively long or cluttered.

all possible options

More specific to situations involving choices or decisions.

the whole gamut

Refers to a complete range or scope of something.

every last detail

Focuses on the depth and thoroughness rather than just the variety.

FAQs

How do I use "everything imaginable" in a sentence?

The phrase usually acts as a noun phrase or part of a prepositional phrase to show totality. For example: "The team did "everything imaginable" to win the game".

What is the difference between "everything imaginable" and "everything possible"?

While similar, "everything possible" focuses on physical or logical feasibility, whereas "everything imaginable" is often used more hyperbolically to describe a vast and creative range of things.

Is "everything imaginable" considered formal?

It is neutral and widely accepted in journalism, business and academic writing. It is more sophisticated than "every thing" but less technical than "exhaustive list".

Can I say "anything imaginable" instead?

Yes, "anything imaginable" is often used in negative or conditional sentences, such as "I would do anything imaginable to help".