fanciful

adjective

fan·​ci·​ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl How to pronounce fanciful (audio)
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 treatiesF. D. Roosevelt
3
: marked by or as if by fancy or whim
gave their children fanciful names
fancifully adverb
fancifulness noun
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even as the conspiracists grew more and more fanciful, wellness was always a pivotal part of their message. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025 The firm was started 150 years ago by Charles Fournier, a decorator who specialised in decorative painting and gilding and who rose to the fore during the Belle Époque, creating fanciful boiserie decor in ornate neo-18th-century style. Sofia Celeste, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025 In fact, in recent years, the art of hosting fanciful dinner parties with themes and custom menus has become more popular than ever, especially among young adults. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2025 President Donald Trump‘s eye-catching foreign policy at the start of his second term is more than just a series of fanciful, off-the-cuff suggestions and is rather an attempt to strong-arm unwilling leaders to the negotiating table, insiders say. Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for fanciful 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fanciful was circa 1627

Dictionary Entries Near fanciful

Cite this Entry

“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanciful. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

fanciful

adjective
fan·​ci·​ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl How to pronounce fanciful (audio)
1
: having or showing free imagination rather than reason
a fanciful person
a fanciful tale
2
: existing in fancy only
a fanciful notion
fancifully adverb
fancifulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fanciful

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