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
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
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
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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
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However, an anonymous NFL general manager has urged the team to target a bizarre position instead.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The film’s ever-so-slightly absurd sincerity is nothing if not brazen.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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Conceptions of world geography at the time were faulty to an almost absurd extent, Bergreen said.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Nicolas Cage was rumored to be interested in playing Charlie and his fictitious twin, Donald.—
Susan Orlean,
New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2025
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However fictitious, these uplifting moments are currently missing from our real-life news cycle.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Orús and Lizaso believe that the AI arms race is foolish.—
Vivienne Walt,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, specific local conditions vary on either side of that imaginary line.—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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