fanciful

adjective

fan·​ci·​ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl 

1

: marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience

a fanciful person

a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods

2

: existing in fancy (see fancy entry 2) only

a fanciful notion

the falsehoods about some fanciful secret treaties

—F. D. Roosevelt

3

: marked by or as if by fancy or whim

gave their children fanciful names

fancifully

ˈfan(t)-si-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

fancifulness

ˈfan(t)-si-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• absurd
• bizarre
• crazy
• fantastic
• fantastical
• foolish
• insane
• nonsensical
• preposterous
• unreal
• wild

Choose the Right Synonym for fanciful

imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable.

imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

Examples of fanciful in a Sentence

a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods

They gave all their children fanciful names.

Recent Examples on the Web

But policymakers should never again ignore the basics in pursuit of fanciful heterodox solutions. —Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025

President Trump’s fanciful plan for Gaza will not happen; still his wacky vision actually undermines legitimate efforts to improve relations in the Mideast, with Israel’s Arab partners like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia looking for the exits. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025

These fanciful thought experiments have inspired new algorithms and helped researchers map the landscape of computation. —Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025

Even as the conspiracists grew more and more fanciful, wellness was always a pivotal part of their message. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fancy entry 2 + -ful entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fanciful

adjective

fan·​ci·​ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl 

1

: having or showing free imagination rather than reason

a fanciful person

a fanciful tale

2

: existing in fancy only

a fanciful notion

fancifully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

fancifulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun