fanciful

[fan-si-fuhl]

adjective

1. characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance.

   a fanciful design of butterflies and flowers.

2. suggested by fancy; imaginary; unreal.

   fanciful lands of romance.

   Synonyms: illusory, baseless, visionary

3. led by fancy rather than by reason and experience; whimsical.

   a fanciful mind.

fanciful

/ ˈfænsɪfʊl /

adjective

1. not based on fact; dubious or imaginary

   fanciful notions

2. made or designed in a curious, intricate, or imaginative way

3. indulging in or influenced by fancy; whimsical

Other Word Forms

• fancifully adverb
• fancifulness noun
• overfanciful adjective
• overfancifully adverb
• overfancifulness noun
• unfanciful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fanciful¹

First recorded in 1620–30; fancy + -ful

Example Sentences

The settings—generic spaces such as cafés, train stations, hotel lobbies, and offices—tend to be described with similar brevity, while the detectives’ actions are recounted in prose generally lacking metaphor, simile, or fanciful digression.

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This isn’t a fanciful dream but a real possibility.

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But fanciful stories aren’t just shared by communities; we can use them in our personal lives as a way to eliminate the messiness of truth and provide a measure of comfort.

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The continent may call, where he could find a set-up that suits him, but the notion of a big Premier League post is fanciful in the extreme.

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The possibility of having to turn, cap in hand, to the International Monetary Fund for a loan or to require intervention from the European Central Bank, is no longer fanciful.

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Related Words

• absurd 
• bizarre 
• extravagant 
• fantastic 
• fantastical www.thesaurus.com
• fictional 
• imaginative 
• offbeat 
• preposterous 
• unreal 
• whimsical