fantasy

[ fan-tuh-see, -zee ]

/ ˈfæn tə si, -zi /

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See synonyms for: fantasy / fantasied / fantasies / fantasying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural fan·ta·sies.

imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained.

the forming of mental images, especially wondrous or strange ones; imaginative conceptualizing.

a mental image, especially when unreal or fantastic; vision: a nightmare fantasy.

Psychology. an imagined or conjured up sequence fulfilling a psychological need; daydream.

a hallucination.

a supposition based on no solid foundation; visionary idea; illusion: dreams of Utopias and similar fantasies.

caprice; whim.

an ingenious or fanciful thought, design, or invention.

a genre of fiction involving magical, folkloric, or mythical elements: I've been reading a lot of fantasy lately.

Also fantasia. Literature. an imaginative or fanciful work, especially one dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or characters: The stories of Poe are fantasies of horror.

Music. fantasia (def. 1).

adjective

noting or relating to a genre of fiction involving magical, folkloric, or mythical elements: All his favorite fantasy novels are about elves.

noting or relating to any of various games or leagues in which fans assemble players of a professional sport into imaginary teams, and points are scored based on the performance of these players in real games: fantasy football; fantasy sports.

verb (used with or without object), fan·ta·sied, fan·ta·sy·ing.

to form mental images; imagine; fantasize.

Rare. to write or play fantasias.

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Rarely phan·ta·sy .

Origin of fantasy

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English fantasie “imaginative faculty, mental image” (from Anglo-French, Old French ), from Latin phantasia, from Greek phantasía “an idea, notion, image,” literally, “a making visible, display”; see fantastic, -y³

synonym study for fantasy

1. See fancy.

OTHER WORDS FROM fantasy

non·fan·ta·sy, noun, plural non·fan·ta·sies.

Words nearby fantasy

fantast, fantastic, fantastically, fantasticate, fantastico, fantasy, fantasyland, fan the flames, Fanti, Fantin-Latour, fantoccini

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fantasy in a sentence

Our fantasies, though, are of the restaurant experience returned to normal.
We’re all fantasizing about post-covid dining now: “I just want someone to spill a beer on me”|Emily Heil|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Today’s tech capabilities are nowhere near any of those fantasies.
Can privacy coexist with technology that reads and changes brain activity?|Laura Sanders|February 11, 2021|Science News
Tasmania might seem farther away than ever right now, and while cooking with How Wild Things Are won’t bring it any closer, it makes part of the fantasy of travel — experiencing the food of a place — real, if only for a moment.
How to Make Smoked Trout, According to a Chef in Tasmania|Monica Burton|February 10, 2021|Eater
As a sop to her sad diet, she indulges in mommy-centric sexual fantasies about an older female colleague.
Melissa Broder’s ‘Milk Fed’ is a delectable exploration of physical and emotional hunger|Bethanne Patrick|February 9, 2021|Washington Post

There are robust communities online dedicated to LARPing, live-action role-playing events in which people gather offline and pretend to be fantasy heroes.
A brutal, isolating year leads to baffling battles between good and evil|Philip Bump|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
But if Democrats are faced with the reality of a glut of qualified candidates, Republicans are assembling more of a fantasy team.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That fantasy, however, is still heavily regimented by all sorts of norms.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A lot of the culture around movies in the sci-fi/fantasy genre is about deconstructing them ad nauseam.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What do you think is the best fantasy work that has not been adapted that should?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I harbor a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy, just like anybody, and I welcomed the challenge.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I have a mild grievance against that talented lady, Miss Marjorie Bowen, for labelling her latest novel "a romantic fantasy."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
The monograph on the Sunshade, called by the author ‘a little tumbled fantasy,’ occupies fully one-half of the volume.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Fantasy as it is, the book has pictures of French-Canadian life which are as true as though the story itself was all true.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Such as Madame Chalice—ah, she was a part of this brave fantasy, this dream of empire, this inspiring play!
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Perhaps, after all, this story was nothing but an unconscious invention—a fantasy which she thought to be the truth.
The Winning Clue|James Hay, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for fantasy

fantasy

phantasy

/ (ˈfæntəsɪ) /

noun plural -sies

imagination unrestricted by reality
(as modifier)a fantasy world

a creation of the imagination, esp a weird or bizarre one

psychol

a series of pleasing mental images, usually serving to fulfil a need not gratified in reality
the activity of forming such images

a whimsical or far-fetched notion

an illusion, hallucination, or phantom

a highly elaborate imaginative design or creation

music another word for fantasia, fancy (def. 13), (rarely) development (def. 5)

literature having a large fantasy content
a prose or dramatic composition of this type

(modifier) of or relating to a competition, often in a newspaper, in which a participant selects players for an imaginary ideal team, and points are awarded according to the actual performances of the chosen playersfantasy football

verb -sies, -sying or -sied

a less common word for fantasize

Word Origin for fantasy

C14 fantasie, from Latin phantasia, from Greek phantazein to make visible

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

fantasy

Origin of fantasy

synonym study for fantasy

OTHER WORDS FROM fantasy

Words nearby fantasy

Words related to fantasy

How to use fantasy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fantasy

phantasy

Word Origin for fantasy