fanciful
Americanadjective
-
not based on fact; dubious or imaginary
fanciful notions
-
made or designed in a curious, intricate, or imaginative way
-
indulging in or influenced by fancy; whimsical
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fanciful
Explanation
Turn fanciful around and you get "full of fancy," which gives you the gist of the meaning. The adjective refers to something not quite real, usually something with a whimsical or even dreamlike quality. The adjective fanciful sprang from the 15th-century noun fancy, which was in turn a short version of the word fantasy. All three words contain the same elemental meaning, that of something unreal. Someone who is fanciful usually allows creative thought rather than the practical to come to the forefront. Edgar Allan Poe said, "It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic."
Vocabulary lists containing fanciful
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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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.
All A.I. systems today are built around neural networks, which, despite their fanciful name, are just math formulas.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
Kyle Balda directs the fanciful comedy, which is based on Leonie Swann’s 2005 novel, “Three Bags Full.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Those predictions made over a decade ago that he could challenge the numbers posted by Nicklaus and Woods remain fanciful.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Although I was not entirely new to fanciful make-’em-ups.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
The equation involved a certain amount of fanciful math, but there was no disputing that the cyclotron was beginning to pay its way as a producer of radioactive isotopes on an industrial scale.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
