fanciful

adjective

fan·ci·ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl

Synonyms of fanciful

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

a fanciful person

a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods

: existing in fancy (see fancy entry 2) only

a fanciful notion

the falsehoods about some fanciful secret treaties—F. D. Roosevelt

: 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

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.

Albeit a much more fanciful one that can be clipped to a keychain like a charm bracelet. — Boone Ashworth, Wired News, 4 June 2026 And that isn’t a fanciful price — tickets for the final have listed for far higher. — Stefan Szymanski, Fortune, 12 June 2026 And that isn’t a fanciful price — tickets for the final have listed for far higher. — Stefan Szymanski, The Conversation, 10 June 2026 Immediately after alighting from its fanciful detour, Woods makes the odd decision to leave Emily’s perspective and lock into Sylvia’s. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fanciful

Word History

Etymology

fancy entry 2 + -ful entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of fanciful was circa 1627

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanciful. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

fanciful

adjective

fan·ci·ful ˈfan(t)-si-fəl

: having or showing free imagination rather than reason

a fanciful person

a fanciful tale

: existing in fancy only

a fanciful notion

fancifully

-f(ə-)lē

adverb

fancifulness

-fəl-nəs

noun

fanciful

adjective

Synonyms of fanciful

Examples of fanciful in a Sentence

Word History

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Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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