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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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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Recent Examples of fanciful
An underdeveloped subplot sees Temir befriend Alika (Jaliyah Richards), a self-conscious Nigerian-American girl from his wrestling class, while a contrastingly fanciful one concerns Azik’s capturing of a likewise far-from-home pelican to cheer up the heavily pregnant and bone-weary Zalya.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
Tighe’s bedroom got an even more fanciful treatment.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Through a fanciful and deeply personal approach, this film transforms the reckoning of immigrant life—working far from family and home—into something profoundly relatable, accessible, and unexpectedly uplifting.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
Tsiolkovsky’s vision was fanciful, more romance than science, but the theme gained concreteness in other works of fiction.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
Tighe’s bedroom got an even more fanciful treatment.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
Through a fanciful and deeply personal approach, this film transforms the reckoning of immigrant life—working far from family and home—into something profoundly relatable, accessible, and unexpectedly uplifting.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 May 2026
Tsiolkovsky’s vision was fanciful, more romance than science, but the theme gained concreteness in other works of fiction.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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That’s just a really bizarre back and forth to exist in.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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As the story builds toward a violent showdown between the mourners and the town, the reader will be entranced by its surreal language and bizarre logic.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Amounts that would have looked imaginary three years ago are now the entry ticket.—
Renana Ashkenazi,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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But his idealized vision of a past paradise of social cohesion that late-stage capitalism destroyed doesn’t reckon with the snakes that were always there in this imaginary Eden, including a personal betrayal that’s close to home and only comes slithering out in a moment of drunken weakness.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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There is always the possibility that something absurd might occur — the equivalent of Neymar’s 2017 move to Paris Saint-Germain, for instance — but that’s extremely unlikely.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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Ironically, the fears of two Republicans advancing were driven by Democratic data vendor Paul Mitchell, who built a prediction machine using absurd inputs like betting odds and polls that cannot account for things like rape allegations.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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However, operators often hide behind fictitious or stolen identities and fail to comply with cease-and-desist letters; meanwhile, hosting servers are often untraceable, shielded by anonymization techniques or by being located in countries where legal enforcement is extremely difficult.—
Emma Woollacott,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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He is charged with one count of unlawful voting by aliens and one count of the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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If the target was foolish enough to reuse passwords, credential thefts like these could enable the compromise of more important accounts.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
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Backing the Cubs right now seems foolish.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Those crews worked on the Country Club Plaza, in a home in Lee’s Summit and around local soccer fields — all on the Missouri side, even though the fictional Coach Lasso hails from Kansas.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
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The show, which follows Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler moving to the fictional South Texas town of Rio Paloma, premiered May 15 and airs Fridays on Paramount+ and the Paramount Network.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The situation only worsens after 9/11, the immediate, unreal impact of which Rivilis sharply captures with a steady pan across a classroom of stunned students, their faces in various states of stricken disbelief, if not simply in their hands.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 May 2026
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But Miller’s first 11 appearances were unreal.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Today, the municipality doesn’t seem too eager to promote its affinity for the international language (its tourism office tends to focus more on local castles and caves), but Herzberg has achieved near-mythic status among some Esperantists.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
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Horses, those strange mythical creatures.—
Nielsen Dinwoodie,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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