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 mythic
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
Absent Huawei this might be fanciful, but China’s leading technology company already has an Android alternative.
—
Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Kitchen veteran Liliane is often the tart-yet-affectionate voice of reason when Antonin gets a little too fanciful for his culinary britches.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025
First, both threats are fanciful to the point of serving as performance art.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Leading up to the 2026 election, the Massachusetts Democratic Party must have a rigorous debate on the direction of our party, our Commonwealth and our country, rather than a fanciful debate on issues better suited for an academic environment.
—Scott W. Lang, Boston Herald, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Kitchen veteran Liliane is often the tart-yet-affectionate voice of reason when Antonin gets a little too fanciful for his culinary britches.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025
First, both threats are fanciful to the point of serving as performance art.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025
Leading up to the 2026 election, the Massachusetts Democratic Party must have a rigorous debate on the direction of our party, our Commonwealth and our country, rather than a fanciful debate on issues better suited for an academic environment.
—Scott W. Lang, Boston Herald, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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While most players at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship are battling the Texas heat, slow play, and a demanding Fields Ranch East layout, Leona Maguire is dealing with something far more bizarre—tick bites!—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
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The bizarre mix of world football and American football was once again clashing early in the game.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Rich and influential adults enjoyed Lear’s company, but Lear himself preferred making mischief for children, telling absurd stories and drawing impossible creatures.—
Caroline Carlson
June 30,
Literary Hub,
30 June 2025
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Traditionally, a show truck of this caliber would be fitted with an absurd array of chrome lightbars, air horns and blingy accessories but that would be counterintuitive to the vehicle’s mission.—
Trinity Francis,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Although it was portrayed as the fictitious Amity island in the film, many of the location sites are still favorite destinations with travelers — less so for the traffic and tourist-averse year-round islanders.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
27 June 2025
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Instead, the two lawyers achieved notoriety in 2023 when the judge in the case fined the pair $5,000 for citing six fictitious cases, invented by artificial intelligence software, in a brief to the court.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Making a prediction for Game 7 is obviously foolish.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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This seems foolish since the U.S. has some 25-30% of the world’s coal, which is even more than China.—
Jude Clemente,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Since its inception, astronomers had busied themselves tracking the apparent movements of the stars, moon and planets relative to an imaginary line running north to south through the observatory, known as a 'meridian'.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
22 June 2025
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Some will retreat from public life, spurning those closest to them in favor of an imaginary narrative woven with these programs.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Even with the security, though, collectors and fans are able to get up close to items that may have previously seemed mythical.—
Larry Holder,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The electric Nebraska has become a mythical object for Springsteen fans over the years, and there’s been a lot of evidence suggesting the tapes do exist.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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In a sit-down interview, Goldberg said the amount of disrespect Gunther had for Goldberg was unreal.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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And, if Mateer and Ott are as-advertised, this could be an unreal year for the Sooners.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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The fictional town of Havenport was filmed in Wilmington, NC, and nearby Southport, NC.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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In the book, five strangers – a white American geographer, a South Sudanese translator, a northern Sudanese cook, a Sudanese-American filmmaker, and a local boy – find themselves at an NGO compound in the fictional town of Saraaya, on the border of Sudan and South Sudan.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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