fancy-free

adjective

Definition of fancy-freenext
as in unmarried

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fancy-free Conjure up visions of the footloose and fancy-free summers of your youth, and recollections of boardwalk strolls, ice cream in hand, may come to mind. — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 7 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancy-free
  1. unmarried
  2. footloose
  3. unattached
  4. unwed
Adjective
  • While increases occurred across nearly all demographic groups, some of the largest were seen among younger and unmarried parents, those in lower-income households and those without a four-year college degree.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of unmarried
Adjective
  • This attempt to revisit the type of fanciful, footloose and fancy-twee storytelling that helped characterize that cultural moment is a big swing, and an even bigger miss.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
  • But sis, this vacation is your time to let go of all those titles and lean into being footloose and carefree.
    — Brittany Vickers, Essence, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of footloose
Adjective
  • Now, with many of the players in their mid-to-late twenties, ten are unattached.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The broken, headless humerus was instead left to float freely in the man’s arm, unattached to his upper body.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of unattached
Adjective
  • During the 1950s, the Catholic Church in Belgium separated thousands of newborns from their unwed mothers and put them up for adoption, often without the mothers' consent.
    — Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026
  • Britain’s mea culpa follows apologies from Scotland, Wales, the Church of England and other nations, as countries confront postwar policies that separated unwed mothers and infants.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of unwed

Browse Nearby Words

fancy Dans
fancy-free
fancying
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Cite this Entry

“Fancy-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancy-free. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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