fantastic

adjective

fan-ˈta-stik How to pronounce fantastic (audio)
variants also fantastical
Definition of fantasticnext
1
as in bizarre
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality a fantastic scheme for getting rich quick

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2
as in romantic
excitingly or mysteriously unusual to European explorers, the Far East was a fantastic land filled with unimaginable riches

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3
as in fictional
not real and existing only in the imagination a science fiction writer who can conjure up fantastic worlds and make them seem as real as our own

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4
as in incredible
too extraordinary or improbable to believe concocted some fantastic story to try to explain why they had returned home so late

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5
as in wonderful
fantastic of the very best kind surfing conditions were simply fantastic

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fantastic different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and grotesque are common synonyms of fantastic. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When is it sensible to use bizarre instead of fantastic?

The meanings of bizarre and fantastic largely overlap; however, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

Where would grotesque be a reasonable alternative to fantastic?

Although the words grotesque and fantastic have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

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 fantastic Bruna is fantastic, and Alison is a wonderful producer with a great eye. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 Walker is having a fantastic season after signing with the Chiefs as a free agent after helping the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 The writer-producer set his Beauty and the Beast in a fantastical subway world beneath New York City, with Hamilton portraying an assistant district attorney and Perlman the mythic, noble man-beast. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 This island that was so fantastic has become Work Island and that’s sad. — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fantastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantastic
  1. bizarre
  2. romantic
  3. fictional
  4. incredible
  5. wonderful
  6. absurd
  7. exotic
  8. imaginary
Adjective
  • The cookie shops have a rotating menu of cookies with elaborate toppings, sometimes offering bizarre flavors such as everything bagel.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Skerritt co-starred opposite Kathy Baker, playing his doctor wife in the community of Rome, Wisconsin, a place with bizarre happenings, like having a robber leaving a trail of frogs or the pope becoming the primary witness to a murder.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • On the fall 2026 runways, romantic clothes arrived styled like everything else in your closet—a lace skirt with a cotton shirt, a gown with a combat boot, a ruffled collar over plain velvet trousers—and the shift is visible on the street too.
    — Laurence Goldberg, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • With a softly rounded outline and romantic facets, the cut evokes the era of craftsmanship that determined a diamond’s brilliance.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of romantic
Adjective
  • The novel was also partly epistolary, including segments of fictional court transcripts and news coverage created by King (who enjoyed mimicking different writing styles).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The film—based on the 2014 play Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith—sets a fictional scene in the final chapter of Highsmith’s life.
    — Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • Achieving incredible data transmission speed The researcher fabricated the device using a 300-millimeter silicon-on-insulator manufacturing process.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This year’s incredible class of awardees includes Jason Bolden, Kellon Deryck, Molly Greenwald, Chris Horan, Amy Komorowski, Thuy Nguyen, Law Roach, and Trish Summerville.
    — InStyle, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of incredible
Adjective
  • Bruna is fantastic, and Alison is a wonderful producer with a great eye.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
  • It is carefully crafted and wincingly sincere, a wonderful conversion of inversions.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of wonderful
Adjective
  • As insufferable and absurd as that was, Murphy continued in the middle of the 2026 season, acting like his team's biggest division rival had also not heard of his players who were currently in first place.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But its ludicrous potential price tag isn’t the only absurd thing.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • The researchers also explored more exotic scenarios involving additional spatial dimensions and theories that extend beyond Einstein’s general relativity.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • But Fleming's 007, and the onscreen Bonds who played out those stories, dispatched danger in exotic locales, and without rumpling the pleats on their dinner jackets.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of exotic
Adjective
  • The book used an imaginary dialogue between two women to explain the principles of economics, collecting the ideas of the new science together in a way that had never before been attempted.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Bill Irwin isn’t going anywhere — knock on all available wood — except quickly to the imaginary bathroom just off stage right several times a night as his character’s regimen of enemas kicks in.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary

Phrases Containing fantastic

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Cite this Entry

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

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