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Synonyms

fanciful

American  
[fan-si-fuhl] / ˈfæn sɪ fəl /

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of fanciful

First recorded in 1620–30; fancy + -ful

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.

He had fanciful notions about Native Americans until he got to know some as people.

From Los Angeles Times

An industry colleague recently admitted that while she was appalled by Ms. Owens’s fanciful claims, she kept tuning in for the next installment of “crazy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The publication took a rather more fanciful approach for some calculations.

From Los Angeles Times

Not something connected to my past, but a fanciful dress-up game that means nothing.

From Literature

It is not fanciful to suspect that Iranian capabilities are being degraded very quickly.

From MarketWatch

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.