fancy
Americanadjective
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fancier,
comparative
-
fanciest
superlative
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ornamental; decorative; not plain.
a cake with a fancy icing.
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tending or intending to impress: fancy four-syllable words.
a fancy degree in geophysics;
fancy four-syllable words.
-
complicated or difficult to perform or execute.
a couple doing some fancy footwork on the dance floor.
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depending on imagination or caprice; whimsical; irregular.
a fancy conception of time.
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made, designed, grown, adapted, etc., to please the taste or fancy; of superfine quality or exceptional appeal.
fancy goods; fancy fruits.
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bred to develop points of beauty or excellence, as an animal.
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much too costly; exorbitant or extravagant.
a consultant who charges fancy fees.
noun
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fancies
plural
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imagination or fantasy, especially as exercised in a capricious manner.
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the artistic ability of creating unreal or whimsical imagery, decorative detail, etc., as in poetry or drawing.
-
a mental image or conception.
He had happy fancies of being a famous actor.
- Synonyms:
- phantasm, idea, impression, notion, thought
-
an idea or opinion with little foundation; illusion.
Her belief that she can sing is a mere fancy.
-
It was his fancy to fly to Paris occasionally for dinner.
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capricious preference; inclination; a liking.
to take a fancy to walking barefoot in the streets.
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critical judgment; taste.
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the breeding of animals to develop points of beauty or excellence.
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Archaic. the fancy, people deeply interested in a sport, art, etc.
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Obsolete. sexual love.
verb (used with object)
-
fancies,
present (3rd person singular)
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fancied,
past participle, past
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fancying
present participle
-
to form a conception of; picture to oneself.
Fancy living with that egotist all your life!
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to believe without being absolutely sure or certain.
I fancy you are my new neighbor.
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to take a liking to; like.
I really fancy the spotted one in that litter.
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to want or desire.
I fancy another piece of cake.
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to breed to develop a special type of animal.
interjection
verb phrase
adjective
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not plain; ornamented or decorative
a fancy cake
fancy clothes
-
requiring skill to perform; intricate
a fancy dance routine
-
arising in the imagination; capricious or illusory
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( often used ironically ) superior in quality or impressive
a fancy course in business administration
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higher than expected
fancy prices
-
(of a domestic animal) bred for particular qualities
noun
-
a sudden capricious idea; whim
-
a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing
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the power to conceive and represent decorative and novel imagery, esp in poetry. Fancy was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than imagination See imagination
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an idea or thing produced by this
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a mental image
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taste or judgment, as in art of dress
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Also called: fantasy, fantasia. music a composition for solo lute, keyboard, etc, current during the 16th and 17th centuries
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archaic those who follow a particular sport, esp prize fighting
verb
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to picture in the imagination
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to suppose; imagine
I fancy it will rain
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(often used with a negative) to like
I don't fancy your chances!
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(reflexive) to have a high or ill-founded opinion of oneself
he fancied himself as a doctor
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informal to have a wish for; desire
she fancied some chocolate
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informal to be physically attracted to (another person)
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to breed (animals) for particular characteristics
interjection
Synonym Usage
Fancy, fantasy, imagination refer to qualities in literature or other artistic composition. The creations of fancy are casual, whimsical, and often amusing, being at once less profound and less moving or inspiring than those of imagination: letting one's fancy play freely on a subject; an impish fancy. Fantasy now usually suggests an unrestrained or extravagant fancy, often resulting in caprice: The use of fantasy in art creates interesting results. The term and concept of creative imagination are less than two hundred years old; previously only the reproductive aspect had been recognized, hardly to be distinguished from memory. “Creative imagination” suggests that the memories of actual sights and experiences may so blend in the mind of the writer or artist as to produce something that has never existed before—often a hitherto unperceived vision of reality: to use imagination in portraying character and action.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fancysimple
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fanciessimple
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have fanciedperfect
-
has fanciedperfect
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am fancyingprogressive
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are fancyingprogressive
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is fancyingprogressive
-
have been fancyingperfect progressive
-
has been fancyingperfect progressive
Past
-
fanciedsimple
-
had fanciedperfect
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was fancyingprogressive
-
were fancyingprogressive
-
had been fancyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fancy
First recorded in 1400–1450; Middle English fan(t)sy, syncopated variant of fantasie fantasy
Explanation
Fancy can be an adjective, noun, or a verb. As an adjective, it’s the opposite of plain. The noun names something that isn’t real. When someone likes or wants something, the verb can be used: “I fancy a cup of tea.” Doesn’t that sound fancy? Fancy is an old contraction of the word fantasy. You’ll often see this word used in the phrase “flights of fancy.” This phrase refers to an unrealistic goal or idea such as, “He has flights of fancy about running off to Hollywood and becoming a movie star.” Fancy can also be used as an expression of affection. If you have a crush on someone, for instance, you could say that you “took a fancy” to him or her.
Vocabulary lists containing fancy
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"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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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.
See Examples For:
Beat your fellow fancy cardholders to the finish line for the best booking options.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College, puts it more bluntly: "LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It's still carving tissue -- it's just carving with a laser."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
So is El Niño just a fancy term for climate change?
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Getting asked out to an affordable happy hour where beers are $5 might actually be a bigger green flag for someone than a date at a fancy cocktail bar.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
It had turned up that morning in a fancy box on the porch.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Joshua says he and other senior managers will be staying up to watch the game, and says if he fancies a lie-in it's only fair to extend that to the rest of the team.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
While acknowleding the possibility of mild investor disappointment versus the run-up in expectations, he still fancies estimates to be raised over the next few quarters.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
And drivers here seem more hostile to cyclists and pedestrians than in many other places in America—odd for a city that fancies itself green and progressive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
One of the pre-tournament fancies behind hot favourites India, England stumbled through their group matches.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
He agreed that the US program should be ramped up to recover the American lead in nuclear weaponry, but he thought his visitors’ fancies had far outrun the practicality of the Super.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
“If some app tries to tell you it has a fancier forecast, you roll your eyes a bit, because it all mostly comes from governments.”
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Premium lounges often do have direct views of competition and ongoing access to fancier food and drink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
I saw my friend talking to some other guy in a fancier uniform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
But he had uncles, aunts and cousins who lived in a much fancier part of the city.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
The original word, controller, is more likely to be used in business, and the fancier one, comptroller, in government.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
The supply chain bringing matsutake mushrooms from under the tree stumps of southwestern China to its fanciest hotels offers a window into the country’s logistical prowess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn, has said that employers believe AI skills have an edge over “the fanciest degrees.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2025
Year 5 pupils in Stratus Class at Riverley Primary School in Leyton, were awarded the title for their joke submission to a UK-wide competition: "What do you call the fanciest punctuation? An a-posh-trophe".
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025
Doesn’t matter the fanciest place I’ve ever been to — this is the best pasta.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2025
"Y'all are the fanciest newbies I ever met," Coach said.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
One of those picks turned out to be No. 1 choice in the 2024 draft, which the Bears used on Williams, a passer who fancied himself a future NFL star since he was a teenager.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
They are overwhelming favourites to retain their domestic crown and are fancied to win their first-ever Champions League this season.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
If she fancied a dress in the display window at the Broadway or Bullocks, it would appear in a fancy box on her bed a few days later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
If you’ve ever fancied a gondola ride through Venice’s famous canals, now might be the time—many Americans have already grasped the opportunity this summer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Sometimes in the silence of that barren country they fancied that they heard faint sounds behind them, a stone falling, or the imagined step of flapping feet on the rock.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Just two days earlier, I’d been on the slopes in Vermont fancying myself a paragon of wellness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
From the outside, it would be understandable if you thought Scotland are fancying their chances this year, what with Glasgow Warriors tearing it up in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
But the narrator—technologically astute and, by proxy, fancying herself a savvy reader of people—discerns the clandestine love story.
From Slate ● May 27, 2024
While it’s not particularly difficult to find a film you’re fancying at any given moment, it’s not particularly easy, either.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
“How I could so long a time be fancying myself!...” cried Harriet, warmly.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
