fancier
Americannoun
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a person having a liking for or interest in something; enthusiast.
a fancier of sports cars.
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a person who breeds animals, plants, etc., especially in order to improve the strain.
a horse fancier.
noun
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a person with a special interest in something
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a person who breeds plants or animals, often as a pastime
a bird fancier
Etymology
Origin of fancier
Explanation
Someone crazy about something can be called a fancier. If you join a club to promote the well-being of pheasants, someone might describe you as "a pheasant fancier." That just means you like pheasants a lot. The word fancier can refer to someone who fancies (or really likes) something — such as dogs or wine or chocolate. It can also be used to describe someone who breeds a particular animal, with the intent of improving the breed. Make sure you don’t confuse this word with the adjective fancy, which has a comparative form that is also spelled “fancier.” That fancier would be used in the sense of “more ornamental” or “more extravagant” — as in "My prom dress is fancier than yours."
Vocabulary lists containing fancier
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (A-L)
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Vocab Video Contest (2016) - List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The apartment was in a modest suburb, and the Mengele family had the wealth for something much fancier.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The Census estimates the median new single-family house last year was 2,176 square feet—and today’s house would be much fancier, with central air conditioning, etc.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
Stretch the night in one or two directions—bigger in scope, richer in ingredients or a little fancier in presentation.
From Salon • Feb. 10, 2026
Sales of fancier phones mean higher average prices.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
Later, there were bigger, fancier books with elaborate pictures that Josie’s father took to peering at himself at night, long after Josie was asleep, because they were so beautiful.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
