fanciful

fan·ci·ful

adjective \ˈfan(t)-si-fəl\

: coming from the imagination

: showing imagination : unusual and appealing

Full Definition of FANCIFUL

1

:  marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience <a fanciful person>

2

:  existing in fancy only <a fanciful notion>

3

:  marked by or as if by fancy or whim <gave their children fanciful names>

— fan·ci·ful·ly \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

— fan·ci·ful·ness \-fəl-nəs\ noun

Examples of FANCIFUL

1. a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods
2. They gave all their children fanciful names.

First Known Use of FANCIFUL

circa 1627

Related to FANCIFUL

Synonyms

absurd, bizarre, crazy, fantastic, foolish, insane, nonsensical, preposterous, unreal, wild

Antonyms

realistic, reasonable

Related Words

implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable; extravagant, grotesque; bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, kooky (also kookie), odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird; farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous; Alice-in-Wonderland, Kafkaesque, nightmarish; dreamlike, surreal

Near Antonyms

authentic, genuine, true; factual, verifiable, verified; believable, convincing, realistic; corporeal, material, physical, solid, substantial; palpable, tangible

See Synonym Discussion at imaginary