fantasy

¹fan·ta·sy

noun \ˈfan-tə-sē, -zē\

plural fan·ta·sies

Definition of FANTASY

1

obsolete : hallucination

2

: fancy; especially : the free play of creative imagination

3

: a creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed or merely conceived: as

a : a fanciful design or invention

b : a chimerical or fantastic notion

c : fantasia 1

d : imaginative fiction featuring especially strange settings and grotesque characters —called also fantasy fiction

4

: caprice

5

: the power or process of creating especially unrealistic or improbable mental images in response to psychological need <an object of fantasy>; also : a mental image or a series of mental images (as a daydream) so created <sexual fantasies>

6

: a coin usually not intended for circulation as currency and often issued by a dubious authority (as a government-in-exile)

Variants of FANTASY

fan·ta·sy also phan·ta·sy \ˈfan-tə-sē, -zē\

Examples of FANTASY

1. His plans are pure fantasy.
2. He can hardly tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
3. His plans are just fantasies.
4. Her fantasy is to be a film star.
5. His plans are the product of pure fantasy.
6. I spent my summer reading fantasies.

Origin of FANTASY

Middle English fantasie — more at fancy

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to FANTASY

Synonyms

chimera, conceit, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm (also fantasm), pipe dream, unreality, vision, castle in Spain, castle in the air

Antonyms

fact, materiality, reality

Related Words

ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp; brainchild, idea; concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention; envisaging, imaging, visualization; cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia; daymare, nightmare

Near Antonyms

actuality, fact, reality

Rhymes with FANTASY

abatis, ABC, ABD, abductee, absentee, acquiree, addressee, adoptee, advisee, alienee, allottee, amputee, apogee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, après-ski, arrestee, assignee, attendee, auditee, awardee, axletree, BVD, Baha'i, bain-marie, barley-bree, batterie, billi-bi, boiserie, bonhomie, booboisie, bourgeoisie, brasserie, brusquerie, bumblebee, camphor tree, camporee, cap-a-pie, causerie, Chamonix, Cherokee, chickadee, chickaree, chimpanzee, China Sea, Christmas tree, chroma-key, coati, Coligny, conferee, consignee, cop a plea, Coral Sea, counselee, context-free, counterplea, cruelty-free, Danaë, DDT, debauchee, Debussy, departee, deportee, dernier cri, designee, detainee, devisee, devotee, diploe, disagree, dischargee, divorcé, divorcée, DME, dungaree, duty-free, eau-de-vie, employee, endorsee, enlistee, enrollee, enshrinee, epopee, escadrille, escapee, ESP, evictee, expellee, family tree, fancy-free, fedayee, fever tree, filigree, fleur-de-lis, franchisee, fricassee, function key, galilee, Galilee, garnishee, gaucherie, Gemini, Greenland Sea, guarani, guarantee, Hawaii, HIV, Holy See, honeybee, honoree, housemaid's knee, humble-bee, inductee, Inland Sea, internee, invitee, Irish Sea, IUD, jacquerie, jamboree, Java Sea, Joshua tree, jubilee, Judas tree, jumper's knee, jus soli, Kayseri, kedgeree, kidnappee, killer bee, LCD, LED, legatee, libelee, licensee, LSD, maître d', Malay Sea, manatee, master key, Mormon tea, mortgagee, murderee, NBC, nominee, obligee, oversea, oversee, Park Chung Hee, parolee, parti pris, pass degree, patentee, pedigree, peppertree, perigee, permittee, pharisee, picotee, piroshki, point d'appui, potpourri, praecipe, presentee, promisee, public-key, rapparee, referee, refugee, rejectee, renminbi, repartee, retiree, returnee, RPV, rubber tree, saddletree, Sadducee, sangaree, Savaii, selectee, Semele, shivaree, slotting fee, snickersnee, spelling bee, spindle tree, SST, STD, Tappan Zee, Tenebrae, Tennessee, third degree, thirty-three, TNT, to a tee, toile de Jouy, torii, transferee, tulip tree, undersea, user fee, vaccinee, value-free, varnish tree, verdigris, VIP, vis-à-vis, wannabe, warrantee, Wounded Knee

²fantasy

verb

fantasiedfantasy·ing

Definition of FANTASY

: fantasize

Examples of FANTASY

1. <she regularly fantasies sexual encounters that she knows will never happen>

First Known Use of FANTASY

15th century

Related to FANTASY

Synonyms

conceit [chiefly dialect], conceive, conjure (up), dream, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, imagine, feature, ideate, image, picture, see, vision, visualize

Related Words

daydream, stargaze; hallucinate; re-create, reflect, relive, reminisce; contemplate, meditate, muse, ponder, ruminate; concoct, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, plan, project; foresee, prefigure

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

fantasy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Mental images or imaginary narratives that distort or entirely depart from reality. Primary fantasies arise spontaneously from the unconscious, while secondary fantasies are consciously summoned and pursued. Sigmund Freud saw fantasy as a vehicle for the expression of repressed desires (see repression). Fantasy is important in the lives of children and is a vital element in play. In adult life it is crucial to creative thinking and the making of art. Fantasy can become destructive if it serves as a constant refuge from the world of reality and a source of delusions.