1
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount
decided they would rather go without dinner than pay the hotel restaurant's fancy prices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in detailed
made or done with great care or with much detail
we're having a little get-together after the concert—nothing fancy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
a writer with a prodigious talent for creating fancies that captivate readers young and old
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whim
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
is this a serious interest in music, or just your latest fancy that will be forgotten after a week?
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in liking
positive regard for something
now that he's rich he's taken a fancy to expensive sports cars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in imagination
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others
to fans of Lewis Carroll, the animal creations of his fertile fancy are as real as any creature to be found at the zoo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to imagine
to form a mental picture of
try to fancy, if you can, our mother on an elephant when she was touring India
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to enjoy
to take pleasure in
the teacher didn't fancy the idea of failing the student, even if he was the class clown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fancy
Adam Bluestein, Scientific American, 5 Apr. 2026
Made in New Zealand, Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter is an affordable dupe for your favorite fancy Irish butter, made from milk from grass-fed cows.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2026
Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
No matter what type of high-vamp heel tickles your footwear fancy, you’ll be set to strut through spring with some pep in your step.
—Morgan Evans, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
We’ve been known to fancy a Chili’s triple dipper, split after work Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse or go all in with the never-ending salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden, but today Lobsterfest was calling our name.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fancy
Adjective
The laser used in the O2O module is nothing particularly fancy, as lasers go.
—Adam Bluestein, Scientific American, 5 Apr. 2026
Made in New Zealand, Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter is an affordable dupe for your favorite fancy Irish butter, made from milk from grass-fed cows.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
But in classic O’Brien fashion, the sincerity turned out to be a bait and switch that gave rise to a bit of absurdist flight of fancy.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
No matter what type of high-vamp heel tickles your footwear fancy, you’ll be set to strut through spring with some pep in your step.
—Morgan Evans, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
Brian would ask him as a homosexual thing—a good-looking boy who Brian fancied.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
We’ve been known to fancy a Chili’s triple dipper, split after work Bloomin’ Onion from Outback Steakhouse or go all in with the never-ending salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden, but today Lobsterfest was calling our name.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancy
Adjective
-
The author emphasizes that the library book controversy—central to the group’s identity—was excessive and poorly conceived.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Ed Masley Weather can make all the difference at an outdoor music festival, as anyone who’s shivered through a cold and rainy night to see their favorite band (or couldn’t take selfies because their smartphone powered down to save itself from the excessive heat) can tell you.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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More smart scales are now including a handlebar to provide detailed insights into fat and muscle distribution across different parts of the body.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The detailed biographies of every correspondent make, in themselves, a whole picture of the cultural and political life of the early twentieth century.—
Hermione Lee,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The dreams that Rice and Jaquez had about bringing an NCAA championship to a program that hadn’t won one required the right pieces, and Betts was the missing ingredient.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Some of her theories apparently came to her in vivid dreams.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And few issues provide more difficulties in implementing his changing whims than a war in the Middle East.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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Every deportation should be based on immigration law, not the whims of ICE nor those of the president.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Brush with an egg wash (or don’t, and the recipe’s vegan) and season to your liking.—
Risa Polansky Shiman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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In the meantime, Nvidia is already responding to some of the backlash, explaining that game developers will have full artistic control over DLSS 5 and can fine-tune the model to their liking.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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May 21 – June 20 When structure meets imagination, conversations bloom.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Their height and heft frightened and thrilled spectators, earning dinosaurs a permanent place in the public imagination, Coules said.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Uncompetitive contests that feature anonymous rosters as stars – or even competent role players – are shut down for the season with injuries both real and imagined.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The second narrative, the one that came later—with science fiction reinventing the robot as gleaming, futuristic, aspirational—built a future that, as imagined by European and American science fiction writers, was white.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Seasonal children's programming is available for ages three to 17, and adults can enjoy the cold plunges, sauna, and hot tub at the Lazy You Hideaway while the kids are occupied.—
Julie Bielenberg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kane will be enjoying his time on the water and live his active and adventurous lifestyle.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancy. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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