fancy-pants

adjective

Definition of fancy-pantsnext
as in pretentious

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fancy-pants To my surprise and delight, what came out of the blender was a fancy-pants chocolate mousse that could be served at any chic Brooklyn bistro. — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 June 2026 Hotel-wise, the best place to be is either Kinloch Lodge, for belt-loosening cuisine and sing-worthy service, or Flodigarry Hotel, an off-compass outpost with a fancy-pants design bar and suites that wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives. — Mike MacEacheran, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2025 Partridge was dressed in classic English fancy-pants style, while Rodrigo embraced the vintage preppiness inherent to gingham. — Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 July 2025 The surprise of Clover Hill is not that this sort of food is on offer in an outer borough—with its concentration of zillion-dollar brownstones and fancy-pants residents, Brooklyn Heights isn’t exactly salt of the earth. — Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancy-pants
  1. pretentious
  2. grandiose
  3. pompous
  4. inflated
  5. purple
  6. ornate
  7. bloated
  8. stilted
Adjective
  • The Majestic espouses a traditional luxury hotel style without feeling stuffy or pretentious.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • The 101 recipes are chef-smart without being pretentious or complicated.
    — Sheela Prakash, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 July 2026
Definition of pretentious
Adjective
  • The Lasting Distinction​ Reputation damage rarely comes in grandiose form.
    — Jon Michail, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • On top of convenient travel, Sedalia wasn’t new to grandiose fairs.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
Definition of grandiose
Adjective
  • Does little Arabella care about going to another stuffy awards dinner with her pompous dad?
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • Among them a City boy wearing three Fit-Bit-type devices, two beautiful Middle Eastern sisters, an outrageously pompous elderly American (sorry; eavesdropping), and several Imelda Marcos lookalikes, tottering out of the treatment rooms with, somehow, their elaborate hairstyles still intact.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of pompous
Adjective
  • The market for centers and forwards also became even more inflated because of the relative dearth of quality options.
    — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • Check the tires regularly with a gauge to ensure that they are evenly inflated.
    — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 22 July 2026
Definition of inflated
Adjective
  • Meals are accompanied by either a purple stick or sticker and served on a purple tray.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 24 July 2026
  • Besides his frenetic and prancing stage presence and whimsical storytelling, Fleming’s HBO special was memorable for his purple bodysuit designed by Anthony Sartino, who famously created wardrobes for the late rock star Prince.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
Definition of purple
Adjective
  • The Venice Film Festival unveiled the lineup for its 83rd edition at a news conference Thursday in the ornate historical archive of parent body La Biennale.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 July 2026
  • Many of them had the notion that Homer should sound archaic, perhaps because a lot of translations created their own ornate anachronistic English that had nothing to do with the language of the epics.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of ornate
Adjective
  • Instead, Welch kept him around long enough to vote for his bloated budget and then hoped the matter would disappear.
    — Amy Elik, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
  • Days later, Till’s mutilated, bloated body was fished out of the Tallahatchie River.
    — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
Definition of bloated
Adjective
  • Staffers are unfailingly warm and helpful, while never seeming stiff or stilted.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026
  • Tensions between Rian and Patrick flare when Rian drunkenly mentions a brief fling with Shiv, though the film’s clunky edit, which gives little room for the performances to breathe and play out organically within their contexts, makes these frictions feel stilted and juvenile.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 May 2026
Definition of stilted

Browse Nearby Words

fancy men
fancy-pants
fancy up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fancy-pants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancy-pants. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of sultry

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All