1
2

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fanciful contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of fanciful are chimerical, fantastic, imaginary, quixotic, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

How does the word chimerical relate to other synonyms for fanciful?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

When could fantastic be used to replace fanciful?

The meanings of fantastic and fanciful largely overlap; however, fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When is imaginary a more appropriate choice than fanciful?

The synonyms imaginary and fanciful are sometimes interchangeable, but imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

Where would quixotic be a reasonable alternative to fanciful?

The words quixotic and fanciful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

In what contexts can visionary take the place of fanciful?

The words visionary and fanciful can be used in similar contexts, but visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fanciful Democrats today are guided not by sober empiricism but by fanciful ideology. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025 Manager Luis Enrique may well have argued any such talk was fanciful, given the length of his team’s early-season injury list, with Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola and Fabian Ruiz all enduring time out already. Jack Bantock, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025 The rest of the cast is similarly sleepwalking through a fanciful pantomime of Southern culture rather than a serious drama. Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025 The second and more fanciful rescue comes some months later, after Wilbur has outgrown the Arables’ farm and settled into a bigger one down the road. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
  • In the film, Credenza runs the bizarre amusement park of Twitlandia alongside her husband — delighting in dirty pranks, filth and cruelty along the way.
    Jane LaCroix, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • However, an anonymous NFL general manager has urged the team to target a bizarre position instead.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The film’s ever-so-slightly absurd sincerity is nothing if not brazen.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Conceptions of world geography at the time were faulty to an almost absurd extent, Bergreen said.
    Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Nicolas Cage was rumored to be interested in playing Charlie and his fictitious twin, Donald.
    Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
  • However fictitious, these uplifting moments are currently missing from our real-life news cycle.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Misiorowski had made Edman look foolish in their first matchup, getting the infielder to swing through a wicked curveball.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Orús and Lizaso believe that the AI arms race is foolish.
    Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Of course, specific local conditions vary on either side of that imaginary line.
    Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Now draw an imaginary line diagonally through the Dipper's bowl from Dubhe (the upper right star in the bowl) down through Phecda (the lower left star in the bowl) and extend that line downward about twice the distance between those two stars and that will bring you to the vicinity of Cor Caroli.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Linus waits in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin, a mythical Santa Claus-like figure who supposedly brings gifts every Halloween.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Linus decides to skip the celebrations to wait in a pumpkin patch for the mythical Great Pumpkin.
    Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Dohnányi, after no end of rigorous rehearsal, obtained a collective sound of unreal, flabbergasting clarity.
    Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Jamaica is already my favorite island so getting to play my first-ever game in paradise was an unreal experience.
    Sandy Pierre, Refinery29, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Blending fictional stories with real historical figures and events, the show captures the promise and pain of the American dream, exploring themes of race, class and identity that continue to resonate decades later.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
  • That’s on top of the other revenue streams, such as sponsorship deals for the fictional APXGP team.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fanciful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!