1
as in bizarre
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
she harbors the fanciful notion that she has a talent for singing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
the fanciful creatures that J.R.R. Tolkien created for his Middle Earth novels
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fanciful
But instead of brushing out the curls, Fox left them as-is, giving her look a sweet, fanciful twist.
—
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Feb. 2026
Carmichael began cooking in New York after moving from Barbados, celebrated in his fanciful parade of curry, coconut, and chiles.
—Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
There should be playful moments and fanciful details.
—Heather Bien, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
From the practical to the fanciful For academics, the Factbook offered hard reliable data that was updated each year.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Feb. 2026
Carmichael began cooking in New York after moving from Barbados, celebrated in his fanciful parade of curry, coconut, and chiles.
—Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026
There should be playful moments and fanciful details.
—Heather Bien, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
From the practical to the fanciful For academics, the Factbook offered hard reliable data that was updated each year.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
-
The band performed the song, sans Pat Smear who is recovering from a bizarre gardening accident that led to a broken foot, on The Graham Norton Show on Friday.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
All three runners had reached base, and all were tagged out on one bizarre play.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Locate the two uppermost stars — Merak and Dubhe — and draw an imaginary line from the former through the latter and out into space.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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He's answered each with an instantly recognizable theme that helped cement these imaginary places in our brains.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Over the past week, a slew of cinematic videos of celebrities and characters in absurd situations have gone viral online, with one commonality –– they were created using a new artificial intelligence tool from Chinese developer ByteDance, sparking anxiety over the fast-evolving capabilities of AI.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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What was turbulent and confused in me came out as absurd and ornate in him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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The committee requested that information after a congressional watchdog found last December that the enhanced premium tax credits were vulnerable to fraud, with auditors successfully obtaining subsidized coverage for multiple ‘fictitious’ applicants.—
Sophie Brams,
The Hill,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When federal policy creates an opportunity to bring additional resources into a state’s education ecosystem, leaders would be foolish to ignore it.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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The fear of looking foolish lasts a moment.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Terms & Conditions interweaves fictional and historical characters in an immersive story that spans 247 years across land and sea.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
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Lawrence, who serves as executive producer on the new incarnation, can also see a parallel between his path and that of his fictional creations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But the characters are expressive, and the medium is used to unreal ends, which is, after all, what cartoons are good for.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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There’s a somewhat dreamy or vaguely unreal quality to this place so far from what one typically thinks of as civilization.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Today’s longevity-medicine movement is driven by the same aggressive desire for eternal youth as the mythic stories of old.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
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Rarely do these pieces directly echo the two men’s interpersonal drama, but the information adds context to the actors’ enchanting movements, which are backed by gorgeous outfits and striking set design that accentuate the mythical tales being played out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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