fanciful

adjective fan·ci·ful \ ˈfan(t)-si-fəl \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: fanciful in a Sentence

Definition of fanciful

1 : marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience

a fanciful person

a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods

2 : existing in fancy (see ²fancy) only

a fanciful notion

the falsehoods about some fanciful secret treaties
—F. D. Roosevelt

3 : marked by or as if by fancy or whim

gave their children fanciful names

—

fancifully

play \ˈfan(t)-si-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

fancifulness

play \ˈfan(t)-si-fəl-nəs\ noun

See fanciful defined for English-language learners

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Examples of fanciful in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of fanciful from the Web

Then there are plant specimens, presented in ways ranging from the traditional to the fanciful.

— barbara schreiber, charlotteobserver, "This artist ‘sculpts’ in living trees and fruit. Here’s what he’s doing now in Charlotte," 11 July 2018
At this Clement Street cafe in the Richmond District, latte art is taken to a whole other level with fanciful and technicolor creations.

— sarah fritsche, San Francisco Chronicle, "Where to find unforgettable tea and coffee service in the Bay Area," 25 May 2018
The journey is often a fanciful one, more metaphoric than realistic, marked by implausible coincidences, touches of folkloric whimsy and an antic sense of humor that keeps pathos at bay.

— margaret gray, latimes.com, "Joy, heartbreak and psychedelic surf rock power a fierce, funny 'Cambodian Rock Band'," 16 Mar. 2018
Markle swapped out the fanciful fascinators and proper toppers for a panama hat to finish the look with polish.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Make Their First Solo Outing at the Wimbledon’s Women’s Final—In Two Very Different Looks," 14 July 2018
Speaking about Lift in the same IndieWire Studio interview, Hammer emphasized the CEO’s peculiar, consistent logic: [Lift is] a guy who doesn’t consider himself like a fanciful, crazy character.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Sorry to Bother You Has an Eerily Familiar Villain," 10 July 2018
That fanciful offense that most don't have the precision or basketball literacy to pull off?

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "The LeBron James Experiment: Considering NBA Free Agency Scenarios for The King," 27 June 2018
Morley then veered away from realistic reproductions into fanciful imagery.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "In memoriam through June 9: Three KC fashion and art icons and a beloved chef," 9 June 2018
The renderings make the small community look like a fanciful vision of the future, but TU Eindhoven is also working with the city to make sure the homes are compliant with regulations.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "3D-printed concrete housing coming to the Netherlands," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fanciful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fanciful

circa 1627

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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fanciful Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of fanciful

imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable. imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.