fantasy

noun fan·ta·sy \ ˈfan-tə-sē , -zē \

variants: or less commonly phantasy

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

plural fantasies

1 obsolete : hallucination

2 : fancy; especially : the free play of creative imagination

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

a : a fanciful design or invention

a fantasy of delicate tracery

b : a chimerical or fantastic notion

His plans are pure fantasy.

c : fantasia 1

the organ fantasy of Johannes Brahms

d : imaginative fiction featuring especially strange settings and grotesque characters

spent the summer reading fantasy

— called also fantasy fiction

4 : caprice

served to fulfill the king's fantasies

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 (such as a daydream) so created

sexual fantasies

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

See fantasy defined for English-language learners

See fantasy defined for kids

Examples of fantasy in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of fantasy from the Web

Gucci commissioned artist Ignasi Monreal to create a fantasy world in which models perch on top of planet Earth and fly above the clouds.

— leora herman, The Cut, "See Spring 2018’s Best Fashion Ads," 11 Apr. 2018
The kind of nightmare Ryan imagined was a very peculiar dystopian fantasy.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Fanatic, Fraud, Factotum: The Rise and Fall of Paul Ryan," 11 Apr. 2018
The idea that Mississippians would vote for a Clinton crony, who narrowly avoided jail for taking bribes, is pure fantasy.

— janet hook, WSJ, "Democrat Mike Espy, Former Congressman and Agriculture Secretary, Joins Mississippi Senate Race," 6 Apr. 2018
Because the movie is a fantasy, the students succeed in their efforts and topple the mayor’s regime.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Politics Isle of Dogs is Wes Anderson's timeliest film," 6 Apr. 2018
To be able to sit and break bread with my mother and my significant other at the same dinner table is a blessing that was once a fantasy at best.

— gerren keith gaynor, The Root, "Don Lemon Helped Me Come Out to My Mother and It Changed My Life Forever," 3 Apr. 2018
Orïsha is a treat of a fantasy world, fully-formed and entirely thought-out, with a thematically rich mythology.

— constance grady, Vox, "If Children of Blood and Bone is the next big thing in YA, we’re all very lucky," 30 Mar. 2018
And with its maritime routes and military accents, this watch will inspire any generation of adventurer—even if the adventure is simply a fantasy about being in a warm climate with rocky beaches, and some old world Côte d'Azur glamour.

— matt hranek, Condé Nast Traveler, "Time and Place: Ulysse Nardin in Cap Ferrat," 28 Mar. 2018
In and out of the Oasis, Art3mis (also known as Samantha, and portrayed by Olivia Cooke) is a male fantasy of female badassery.

— a. o. scott, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Ready Player One,’ Spielberg Plays the Nostalgia Game," 28 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of fantasy

Middle English fantasie — more at fancy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

fantasy Synonyms

fantasy

verb

fantasied; fantasying

: fantasize

Examples of fantasy in a Sentence

she regularly fantasies sexual encounters that she knows will never happen

Recent Examples of fantasy from the Web

From fantasy hot commodity to fantasy goat in the span of a week, Henry did not see much time on the field, rushing just six times for 7 yards vs. the stout Texans defense.

— tony holm, USA TODAY, "Fantasy sizzlers and fizzlers: Deshaun Watson does it all," 2 Oct. 2017

Origin and Etymology of fantasy

see ¹fantasy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

fantasy Synonyms

Synonyms

conceive, conjure (up), dream, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, feature, ideate, image, imagine, 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

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a game in which participants create and manage imaginary teams consisting of players from a particular sport and scoring is based on the statistical performances of the actual players

fantasy football

Recent Examples of fantasy from the Web

And if there’s anything fantasy baseball owners don’t like, it’s uncertainty.

— steve gardner, USA TODAY, "Fantasy baseball: Spring training brings uncertainty for owners," 6 Mar. 2018
And that brings us to Kelce’s biggest fantasy nemesis: Alex Smith.

— john paulsen, SI.com, "After Rob Gronkowski, Should I Draft Travis Kelce or Jordan Reed in Fantasy Football?," 19 Aug. 2017
The rankings reflect overall fantasy value in a standard 12-team, point-per-reception (PPR) league.

— usa today sports, The Courier-Journal, "Fantasy football rankings: Top 200 for 2017," 31 July 2017
According to Mr. Adams, the agents questioned him about the nature of his addiction and how fantasy sports ads had affected him.

— walt bogdanich, james glanz and jacqueline williams, New York Times, "Fantasy Sites Are Dealt New Rebuff by Citigroup," 5 Feb. 2016

First Known Use of fantasy

1984

FANTASY Defined for English Language Learners

fantasy

noun

: something that is produced by the imagination : an idea about doing something that is far removed from normal reality
: the act of imagining something
: a book, movie, etc., that tells a story about things that happen in an imaginary world

FANTASY Defined for Kids

fantasy

noun fan·ta·sy \ ˈfan-tə-sē , -zē \

plural fantasies

1 : imagination 1

The plan was a product of pure fantasy.

2 : something produced by the imagination

His fantasy is to win a million dollars.

Medical Dictionary

fantasy

noun fan·ta·sy

variants: also phantasy play \ˈfant-ə-sē, -zē\

plural fantasies

: 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 of adolescence

fantasy

verb

variants: also phantasy

fantasied; fantasying

: fantasize

Learn More about fantasy

See words that rhyme with fantasy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fantasy Spanish Central: Translation of fantasy Nglish: Translation of fantasy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fantasy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fantasy

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fantasy

Examples of fantasy in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of fantasy

fantasy Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

fantasy

Examples of fantasy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fantasy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fantasy

fantasy Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Psychology Terms

fantasy

Recent Examples of fantasy from the Web

First Known Use of fantasy

Phrases Related to FANTASY

Related Phrases

FANTASY Defined for English Language Learners

fantasy

FANTASY Defined for Kids

fantasy

Medical Dictionary

fantasy

fantasy

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