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

But I am sure Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will chip in too because he is a wonderful footballer and, while I do see Palace scoring, I fancy Everton to edge this.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

These kids had fancy snacks, posters and portable speakers, while my kid was in a gray cell block staring at four concrete walls like she was about to do hard time for grand larceny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

If you fancy a long walk, you can take the train to C and stroll over to D, but if you have a tight connection—or if you land at Dulles on almost any international flight—congratulations!

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

You don’t need any fancy equipment to start.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

It was a snow-white shaving mug with a fancy design on it.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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

Their reconciliation seems to owe to their sadness about the state of the world—discontents such as the artificial-intelligence revolution and the Gaza war trouble the background—and their nostalgia for the shared fancies of childhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 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

One of the pre-tournament fancies behind hot favourites India, England stumbled through their group matches.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

“Best you stay away. She’s a nosy gossiper, that one. And the husband fancies himself some kind of educated intellectual. But he’s a mouse. Look at him. Doesn’t he look like a mouse?”

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

I have a fancier fleece blanket that should work nicely for Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s cape.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“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

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

The Census estimates the median new single-family house last year was 2,176 square feet—and today’s house would be much fancier, with central air conditioning, etc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

Our apartment was bigger than the entire house on Little Hobart Street, and way fancier.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Design.Space felt like being in the fanciest department store in an upscale mall 30 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025

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 inside of the Vanderbilt Hotel is easily the fanciest place I’ve ever been.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

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

Perhaps a few would have fancied more goals against Haiti, but beggars cannot be choosers after a 36-year wait for a win on the biggest stage of all.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 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

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

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

She was still angry with Trotter for bursting in on her, but she was curious to know just what sort of poetry old man Randolph fancied.

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson

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

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

“What Sondheim didn’t appreciate was Bernstein’s fancying himself a lyricist,” Mr. Silverman wrote.

From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

It puzzles me now to remember with what absurd sincerity I doated on this little toy, half fancying it alive and capable of sensation.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

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