fantasy

noun fan·ta·sy \ ˈfan-tə-sē , -zē \

variants: or less commonly phantasy

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: fantasy in a Sentence

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

One of the pioneers of paid daily fantasy sports, Draft Kings has moved quickly since the US Supreme Court ruled in May that the federal government cannot prevent states from offering sports betting.

— andy rosen, BostonGlobe.com, "DraftKings signs deal with N.J. casino to move into sports betting," 1 June 2018
The Simpsons creator Matt Groening is focusing on the world of fantasy for his next project, and Wayne’s Abbi Jacobson is going along for the ride.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "Matt Groening's 'Disenchantment,' featuring Wayne's Abbi Jacobson, premieres on Netflix this summer," 23 May 2018
Now, with the focus on Sunday’s Game 3 of the Houston series, that seems like the stuff of fantasy.

— bruce jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "The Warriors’ bench, and the whiff of nostalgia," 18 May 2018
American pop culture tends to approach the British monarchy purely as a site of fantasy.

— constance grady, Vox, "13 questions about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s big day, asked and answered.," 11 May 2018
The cloaking device is the latest effort by scientists to bring what seemed to be technology of fantasy to the real world.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "'Star Trek' tech gets real: Cloaking device conceals objects, Penn State researchers say," 10 May 2018
His films are works of fantasy, but also reflect current events.

— madeline buxton, refinery29.com, "Today's Google Doodle Is A First Of Its Kind," 3 May 2018
Living in Los Angeles must be some kind of fantasy.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa Are Retro Cool By The Pool in 'One Kiss' Video: Watch," 2 May 2018
You're admired for your steadfast work ethic and your incredible rationality, but remember, Capricorn darling, invention exists at the intersection of fantasy and reality.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What May's Capricorn Horoscope Means for You," 26 Apr. 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Who can fantasy owners find to take Hoskins' place?

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "Fantasy baseball chat with Brent Hershey: Thursday at noon ET," 30 May 2018
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

in the meaning defined above

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

Of the group, Verdugo and Pederson probably offer the most fantasy appeal, since Hernandez is a .207/.264/.333 career hitter against right-handed pitching.

— brian rudd, USA TODAY, "Injuries give young players opportunity," 9 May 2018
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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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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