1
as in dreams
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whims
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 likings
positive regard for something
now that he's rich he's taken a fancy to expensive sports cars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in imagines
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 enjoys
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 fancies
Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Child actor Jax James has been set in the series regular role of Dougie, Maureen’s only son who is not even ten but acts like a 60-year-old scholar and has no time for childish fancies.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Schenn, at 36 years old, is not a legitimate everyday defenseman, certainly not for a team that (rightly) fancies itself a contender.
—Corey Pronman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
While Maluma never called this swanky condo home, the 31-year-old singer and rapper appreciates plenty of other high-end fancies.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2025
At least there were idealists who dreamed such fancies, and their dreams were the pretext for creating this nation.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
And Ripi fancies itself as a disruptor.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Jackson fancies himself an American Sadat, performing the most sensitive, high-profile diplomatic missions for the president but without the accountability of appointive office.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Gronk makes his game prediction Boise State may be coming into Saturday’s game as an underdog by over a touchdown, but Gronkowski fancies the Broncos’ chances.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 13 Dec. 2025
Noun
Yenor now fancies doing a little discrimination of his own.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Child actor Jax James has been set in the series regular role of Dougie, Maureen’s only son who is not even ten but acts like a 60-year-old scholar and has no time for childish fancies.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Schenn, at 36 years old, is not a legitimate everyday defenseman, certainly not for a team that (rightly) fancies itself a contender.
—Corey Pronman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
While Maluma never called this swanky condo home, the 31-year-old singer and rapper appreciates plenty of other high-end fancies.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2025
At least there were idealists who dreamed such fancies, and their dreams were the pretext for creating this nation.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Verb
When the dreams start bleeding into real life, Charlie — who fancies himself an amateur detective — convinces his brother and friends to investigate Lorcan’s mysterious origins, a thread that soon unravels an entire secret fantasy world kept under wraps by the elders of the island.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
And Ripi fancies itself as a disruptor.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Jackson fancies himself an American Sadat, performing the most sensitive, high-profile diplomatic missions for the president but without the accountability of appointive office.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Gronk makes his game prediction Boise State may be coming into Saturday’s game as an underdog by over a touchdown, but Gronkowski fancies the Broncos’ chances.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancies
Noun
-
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
-
Samuel's mother, Nishae Samuel, previously described her son as cheerful and outgoing, with dreams of starting his own clothing line.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
No matter how much someone disagrees with recent decisions by the high court, threatening to subordinate judicial independence to the whims of a political party befits a banana republic.—
Washington Post Editorial Board,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
-
Barcelona, too, suffered from the whims of their men’s financial state this season.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Humanoid robots wearing designer outfits walked alongside human models at a fashion show in Seoul this week, offering a glimpse into how South Korea’s technology industry imagines a future where robots are not just tools, but participants in everyday cultural life.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
-
The Argentine writer’s short story, first published in 1941, imagines an infinite archive of books in which the alphabet has been configured into every possible combination, resulting in a limitless array of texts meaning everything and nothing.—
Raphael Helfand,
Pitchfork,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Jake, who previously interned at amNewYork, enjoys telling sports stories with a human-interest element and incorporating video within his coverage.—
Molly Fellin Spence,
Baltimore Sun,
29 May 2026
-
Nobody enjoys being randomly summoned into your post about the Top 37 Visionary Thought Leaders Changing Synergy in Healthcare.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
These fantasies can all skew toward exclusionary extremism on the left and the right.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
-
In those pages, Fiedler dared to argue that many of America’s boyish and putatively innocent classics are in fact fantasies of interracial, homosexual romance.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The heavy hand of British executions, offensive to Indigenous notions of reparative justice, also provoked many.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
Both are interested, in different ways, in notions of artifice and authenticity.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
The post has now received over one million likes on Instagram from Lamine’s 43 million followers.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
31 May 2026
-
Unlike Espart, who was scouted by La Masia for the Under-10s and then progressed to become a graduate of the famous Class of 2007 also containing the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal, Virgili had to work hard to reach the top.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
What Hill envisions is a continuum of care—therapy and coaching not as competing camps but as complementary services.—
Megan Bruneau,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Warren envisions a stadium just south of the Bears’ current home at Soldier Field, on the site of what is now a parking lot.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fancies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancies. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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