Synonyms of fanciful

fanciful

adjective

ˈfan(t)-si-fəl 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bizarre
• absurd
• foolish
• fantastical
• unreal
• insane
• crazy
• strange
• fantastic
• nonsensical
• preposterous
• ridiculous
• wild
• curious
• grotesque
• incredible
• peculiar
• odd
• weird
• implausible
• off the wall
• funny
• extravagant
• eccentric
• inconceivable
• unbelievable
• unimaginable
• unthinkable
• outlandish
• quirky
• wacky
• ludicrous
• quaint
• surreal
• farcical
• queer
• whacky
• screwy
• laughable
• kinky
• outré
• out-of-the-way
• nightmarish
• dreamlike
• kooky
• Alice-in-Wonderland
• far-out
• way-out
• kookie
• bizarro
• queerish
• Kafkaesque

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reasonable
• realistic

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mythic
• fictitious
• imaginary
• mythical
• fictional
• fantastical
• fantasied
• imagined
• ideal
• chimerical
• imaginal
• invented
• unreal
• chimeric
• make-believe
• phantom
• theoretic
• phantasmal
• fantastic
• theoretical
• notional
• fabulous
• visionary
• phantasmic
• romantic
• unlikely
• made-up
• legendary
• pretend
• hypothetical
• abstract
• fabled
• deceptive
• unbelievable
• unconvincing
• phantasmagorical
• delusive
• illusory
• hallucinatory
• envisioned
• phantasmagoric
• delusional
• fictive
• visualized
• conceived
• concocted
• pictured
• envisaged
• nonexistent
• fabricated
• feigned
• daydreamlike
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• actual
• true
• existing
• genuine
• authentic
• factual
• existent
• realistic
• convincing
• verifiable
• substantial
• physical
• believable
• solid
• tangible
• material
• corporeal
• palpable
• verified

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

Recent Examples of fanciful

The 38-room Nimb hotel, in a fanciful 1909-vintage palace adorned with strands of lights on the southern edge of the park, is among the best places to stay. —Maggie Turner, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025

The idea that Team Ueda will be able to hike rates anytime soon is becoming more fanciful with each passing week. —William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

This attempt to revisit the type of fanciful, footloose and fancy-twee storytelling that helped characterize that cultural moment is a big swing, and an even bigger miss. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025

There are some exceptions to this mode of fanciful speculation. —Kate Wagner, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025