Hi guys. How are you doing today?
I'm brushing up on the verb 'envisage'. I had forgotten it and I heard it on Real Dictators, a podcast I'm hooked on at the moment.

I have no questions about it meaning 'imagine happening'. However, it also means to intend to do something: Karen envisages retiring at the age of sixty. Is that a synonym, to intend to do something? Is 'envisage' too formal or literary?

It's always the same or similar questions. How boring! ;)

Thank you very much :) !!

Question

Hi guys. How are you doing today? 
I'm brushing up on the verb 'envisage'. I had forgotten it and I heard it on Real Dictators, a podcast I'm hooked on at the moment.

I have no questions about it meaning 'imagine happening'. However, it also means to intend to do something: Karen envisages retiring at the age of sixty. Is that a synonym, to intend to do something? Is 'envisage' too formal or literary?

It's always the same or similar questions. How boring! ;)

Thank you very much :) !!

Answer

Hey Oscar,
In the USA, we use a slightly different word: envision.
We say: "I envision myself retiring at the age of 60."
or
"He envisioned himself getting a promotion at work."
O, si tiene ideas para un proyecto, su jefe podría decir: "Ok Oscar, what do you envision?"

Answer

"Envisage" isn't too formal or literary, but it isn't a very common word either. I would think of it as coming from French: en = in; visage = sight. So the image, the picture, the idea is coming into sight, we 'see' it in our minds, we dream it, etc. If I envisage retiring at age 60, then I am 'seeing' that possibility, I imagine it, I conceptualise it. It's not exactly 'to intend to do something', but rather, I imagine/see that particular event happening.

Answer

Instead of defining it as "to intend to do something", it would be more accurate to say "to intend for something to happen". A synonym is a word, and not a sentence, so for example, one would say "forsee" as opposed to "envisage". So, using your example, one would say "Karen foresees retiring at the age of sixty"

Hope this helps!