fancy-pants

adjective

fan·​cy-pants ˈfan(t)-sē-ˌpan(t)s How to pronounce fancy-pants (audio)
Synonyms of fancy-pantsnext
: overly elegant or refined : la-di-da

Examples of fancy-pants in a Sentence

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.
To my surprise and delight, what came out of the blender was a fancy-pants chocolate mousse that could be served at any chic Brooklyn bistro. — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 June 2026 Partridge was dressed in classic English fancy-pants style, while Rodrigo embraced the vintage preppiness inherent to gingham. — Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 July 2025 The surprise of Clover Hill is not that this sort of food is on offer in an outer borough—with its concentration of zillion-dollar brownstones and fancy-pants residents, Brooklyn Heights isn’t exactly salt of the earth. — Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024 Hotel-wise, the best place to be is either Kinloch Lodge, for belt-loosening cuisine and sing-worthy service, or Flodigarry Hotel, an off-compass outpost with a fancy-pants design bar and suites that wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives. — Mike MacEacheran, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fancy-pants was in 1939

Rhymes for fancy-pants

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Browse Nearby Words

fancy oneself
fancy-pants
fancy roller
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Cite this Entry

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

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