fancy

American  

[fan-see] / ˈfæn si /

adjective

• fancier,
  comparative
• fanciest
  superlative

1. ornamental; decorative; not plain.

   a cake with a fancy icing.

   Synonyms:

   ornate, decorated

2. tending or intending to impress: fancy four-syllable words.

   a fancy degree in geophysics;

   fancy four-syllable words.

3. complicated or difficult to perform or execute.

   a couple doing some fancy footwork on the dance floor.

4. depending on imagination or caprice; whimsical; irregular.

   a fancy conception of time.

5. made, designed, grown, adapted, etc., to please the taste or fancy; of superfine quality or exceptional appeal.

   fancy goods; fancy fruits.

   Synonyms:

   choice, elegant, fine

6. bred to develop points of beauty or excellence, as an animal.

7. much too costly; exorbitant or extravagant.

   a consultant who charges fancy fees.

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noun

• fancies
  plural

1. imagination or fantasy, especially as exercised in a capricious manner.

2. the artistic ability of creating unreal or whimsical imagery, decorative detail, etc., as in poetry or drawing.

3. a mental image or conception.

   He had happy fancies of being a famous actor.

   Synonyms:

   phantasm, idea, impression, notion, thought

4. an idea or opinion with little foundation; illusion.

   Her belief that she can sing is a mere fancy.

5. a caprice; whim; vagary.

   It was his fancy to fly to Paris occasionally for dinner.

   Synonyms:

   crotchet, humor, quirk

6. capricious preference; inclination; a liking.

   to take a fancy to walking barefoot in the streets.

7. critical judgment; taste.

8. the breeding of animals to develop points of beauty or excellence.

9. Archaic. the fancy, people deeply interested in a sport, art, etc.

10. Obsolete. sexual love.

verb (used with object)

• fancies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fancied,
  past participle,  past
• fancying
  present participle

1. to form a conception of; picture to oneself.

   Fancy living with that egotist all your life!

   Synonyms:

   imagine, conceive, envision

2. to believe without being absolutely sure or certain.

   I fancy you are my new neighbor.

3. to take a liking to; like.

   I really fancy the spotted one in that litter.

4. to want or desire.

   I fancy another piece of cake.

5. to breed to develop a special type of animal.

interjection

1. null fancy that (used as an exclamation of mild surprise).

   They invited you, too? Fancy!

verb phrase

1. fancy up to make superficially showy by way of improvement.

   an old car fancied up with a bright new paint job.

fancy British  

/ ˈfænsɪ /

adjective

1. not plain; ornamented or decorative

   a fancy cake

   fancy clothes

2. requiring skill to perform; intricate

   a fancy dance routine

3. arising in the imagination; capricious or illusory

4. ( often used ironically ) superior in quality or impressive

   a fancy course in business administration

5. higher than expected

   fancy prices

6. (of a domestic animal) bred for particular qualities

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noun

1. a sudden capricious idea; whim

2. a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing

3. 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

4. an idea or thing produced by this

5. a mental image

6. taste or judgment, as in art of dress

7. Also called: fantasy.   fantasia.  music a composition for solo lute, keyboard, etc, current during the 16th and 17th centuries

8. archaic those who follow a particular sport, esp prize fighting

verb

1. to picture in the imagination

2. to suppose; imagine

   I fancy it will rain

3. (often used with a negative) to like

   I don't fancy your chances!

4. (reflexive) to have a high or ill-founded opinion of oneself

   he fancied himself as a doctor

5. informal to have a wish for; desire

   she fancied some chocolate

6. informal to be physically attracted to (another person)

7. to breed (animals) for particular characteristics

interjection

1. Also: fancy that!.  an exclamation of surprise or disbelief

fancy Idioms  

1. see flight of fancy; footloose and fancy-free; take a fancy to; tickle one's fancy;.

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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

• fanciness
  noun
• unfancy
  adjective
• fancily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fancies
  plural

Adjectives

• fancier
  comparative
• fanciest
  superlative

Participles

• fancying
  present
• fancied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fancy
  simple
• fancies
  simple
• have fancied
  perfect
• has fancied
  perfect
• am fancying
  progressive
• are fancying
  progressive
• is fancying
  progressive
• have been fancying
  perfect progressive
• has been fancying
  perfect progressive

Past

• fancied
  simple
• had fancied
  perfect
• was fancying
  progressive
• were fancying
  progressive
• had been fancying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fancy
  simple
• will have fancied
  perfect
• will be fancying
  progressive
• will have been fancying
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fancy fancies fancier fanciest fancied fancying

They don’t involve fancy gym equipment or even much time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

You don’t need any fancy equipment to start.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

A Wayfair coupon helped me score two fancy bath mats at a steep markdown.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Plus, fancy water and the benefits of being a grandparent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

In another, they’re at a fancy event, and Hairy Senior wears a glittery two-piece suit.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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

Rep. Ro Khanna, who fancies himself presidential material, has congratulated Ms. Kiros and claimed credit for having “spotted” her as a “generational talent.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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

Ruegg, who won last year's TDU on the demanding Willunga Hill climb, fancies her chances of defending her tour title on Monday.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

From behind an ornate Myrish screen carved with flowers and fancies and dreaming maidens, they peered unseen into a common room where an old man was playing a cheerful air on the pipes.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

But he had uncles, aunts and cousins who lived in a much fancier part of the city.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

In general, the growing popularity of cold brews among young people could be seen as an example of so-called 'premiumisation', where businesses make their products look fancier to justify higher prices.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

Those reasons include nicer planes with seats that will fold into a couch, faster Wi-Fi, fancier wine and a mobile app that fliers actually find helpful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

Sales of fancier phones mean higher average prices.

From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026

A Californian I know, Dr. Schwartz, is a cactus fancier.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Even the fanciest European supermarkets typically offered three types of milk: whole, semiskimmed and skimmed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 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

The nicest, most renovated parks, with the fanciest playgrounds and the coolest splash pads, can be found in the other districts.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2024

And the fanciest plaque of all, with the words “Eighth-Grade Top Scholar Award” carved into the top in gold letters.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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

Add all that together, and it's easy to see why Ferrari are fancied for a potential win this year.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

“Up in one of the windows, there was a girl I fancied called Jasmine,” he explained.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

She noticed, and maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt she sensed some of my agitation, because I fancied I saw something like concern in her eyes.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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

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

You start fancying it if you are Everton.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 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

ALBUS: Apart from the Polly Chapman fancying you bits.

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• complicated
• decorative
• deluxe
• elegant
• frilly
• gaudy
• lavish
• ornate
• special
• sumptuous