by no stretch of the imagination

idiom

The phrase "by no stretch of the imagination" is used to emphasize that something is completely implausible or impossible, even if one tries to imagine it differently.

🇺🇸 US Voice:

🇬🇧 UK Voice:

Definition

C1General

(idiomatic, emphatic)Absolutely not possible or true, no matter how much one tries to imagine it.

Example

By no stretch of the imagination could he be called a hero.
The project was by no stretch of the imagination a success.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "by no stretch of the imagination":

in no way by any means not at all