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
The space was as vast as an airplane hangar, at once utilitarian and fanciful—a Bed Bath & Beyond stockroom crossed with a cabinet of curiosities.
—
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Another more fanciful origin story goes that the Jade Emperor (a principal figure in Chinese mythology) threatened to burn down a village after its citizens accidentally killed his favorite pet crane.
—Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Another more fanciful origin story goes that the Jade Emperor (a principal figure in Chinese mythology) threatened to burn down a village after its citizens accidentally killed his favorite pet crane.
—Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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As travelers crave experiences over ordinary stays, hotels that have transformed grim to glam are now embracing their bizarre and sometimes haunted histories, even hosting weddings and wellness retreats.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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But things take a bizarre turn when her son, Simón (Roger Príncep), goes missing.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In those meetings, our would-be bosses told us to make mock phone calls to prospective clients to gauge our ability to convince strangers about the merit of an imaginary product.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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Each one was built by a Ramona family, less to keep away any errant birds from imaginary crops at the Grange parking lot, but more to celebrate fall and enjoy a family collaboration.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The combination of absurd temperatures, damp humidity, and having my hair stick to my neck daily was driving me insane.—
Kayla Greaves,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
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Plus, who doesn’t love Nick Offerman sharing the screen with absurd facial hair?—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, close animal encounters aren't always fictitious.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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The Half Moon Bay weigh-off began in 1974, when the California town barely edged out Circleville, Ohio, in an amiable contest for the fictitious title of pumpkin capital of the world.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That’s what made the Gators’ decision to retain Napier especially foolish.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
USA TODAY,
30 Oct. 2025
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This of course was foolish in light of the fact that trade deals are incredibly complicated and take a long time to finalize.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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First, and perhaps most obvious, the fictional thriller draws inspiration from the Manson Family's home invasion and murder of Sharon Tate and her friends, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, as well as Steven Parent, who was visiting the home's caretaker.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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The Heart of the Ocean may be fictional, but its legend feels real—modeled loosely on the Hope Diamond.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Drake Maye, the third overall pick in 2024, is playing unreal football right now after connecting on 21 of 23 passes to beat the Titans 31-13 last week.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dohnányi, after no end of rigorous rehearsal, obtained a collective sound of unreal, flabbergasting clarity.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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Mateus’s approach to the declamation of text by nonprofessional actors finds its roots in movies by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, while her mythic, loamy exploration of the lives of the poor through history follows in the footsteps of the Portuguese director Pedro Costa.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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