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 grid of four tiles features an illustration of a fanciful townhouse, along with drawings inspired by the comic book Archie’s Madhouse and antic cells from Donald Duck and The Katzenjammer Kids.
—
Carolina A. Miranda, The New York Review of Books, 22 May 2026
Telč's exquisite historic center seems like the fanciful creation of a Hollywood set designer.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Carolina A. Miranda, The New York Review of Books, 22 May 2026
Telč's exquisite historic center seems like the fanciful creation of a Hollywood set designer.
—Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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Then, to make the situation more bizarre, Arnaldi and Cobolli held a press conference together in the same room despite the former being sick and the latter being two days away from playing in a Grand Slam final.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
7 June 2026
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The astronauts reported bizarre smells, and had issues flushing urine outside the spacecraft as designed.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Someone needs to tell both Salley and her extraneous E to get the hell off my imaginary husband.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Katie Dippold shaped the show from its very beginnings by way of her passion for both horror and comedy, Hiro Murai is a quiet artist who carries a big imaginary stick.—
Stephen Root,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Soon my entire feed was pugs and poodles and beagles and portmanteau blends with absurd names like golden doodle and cavapoo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Produced by Heavy Lifting Productions in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, Knighted follows a missing person’s case that spirals into an absurd documentary-style exploration of the sinister secrets lurking beneath the enchanting pageantry of a local medieval dinner theatre.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
11 June 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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It’s presented without winks or nudges, neither as a joke nor necessarily foolish.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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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
Adjective
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The Jurassic Park screenwriter notes that aliens, both real and fictional, might exist entirely outside of the bounds of human comprehension.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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What was the challenge of making this fictional band’s stardom believable — the charisma, the presence on stage, the discography?—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Rick Devens' coin flip was unreal.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
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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
Adjective
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The site tells you, in simple terms, whether the dog — or any other animal, real or mythical — makes it out alive.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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There are also hopper toys that defy the typical ball design in favor of whimsical animals and mythical creatures.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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