as in imagining
to form a mental picture of
all those lottery players fantasizing themselves as living in extravagant luxury
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Recent Examples of fantasizing
Hedda’s romantic picture — of Lovborg dying magnificently, with Dionysian vine leaves in his hairs, from a bullet of one of her own guns — smacks of the same literary cliches that has Emma fantasizing about a torchlight wedding at midnight.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
The story follows trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci, who obsesses over masked men on social media, fantasizing about them chasing her down.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The irony here is that many in Washington have been openly fantasizing about how advanced AI systems could revolutionize military strategy and reshape geopolitics—to such an extent that this speculation has fueled a kind of arms race with China.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Civility ⬇ Virginia's Jay Jones sent texts fantasizing about shooting a Republican opponent, then won his race for attorney general.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
When her daughter was born in December, Ivanova called her Yustyna – the name the couple picked together when fantasizing about having children.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Storylines like this, in our age of escalating eat-the-rich sentiment, allow viewers to vicariously enjoy beautiful homes and high-maintenance bodies while also fantasizing about (or, for more comfortable audiences, safely exploring fears of) class warfare.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
The story follows trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci, who obsesses over masked men on social media, fantasizing about them chasing her down.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
The irony here is that many in Washington have been openly fantasizing about how advanced AI systems could revolutionize military strategy and reshape geopolitics—to such an extent that this speculation has fueled a kind of arms race with China.
—Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Civility ⬇ Virginia's Jay Jones sent texts fantasizing about shooting a Republican opponent, then won his race for attorney general.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantasizing
Verb
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In defeat, White Southerners cast themselves in the role of Christ, imagining their suffering as redemptive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Ryle warned us against imagining a ghost inside the machine.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Beyond the arena, Welts shared fresh details about the entertainment district the team is envisioning with its next home.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Dissecting the Alpha Plan With the introduction of several products across different categories, Honor plans to push itself as a AI+robotics ecosystem for the future, envisioning an AI hardware civilization where devices, think, move, interact, and work together.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Aston Villa Not so long ago, Aston Villa fans were dreaming of winning the title.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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For the kids who spend their days dreaming of Putnam County Spelling Bee glory, words are the things that set them free.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Indian airlines are also seeing cost escalations due to restriction on use of airspace over Gulf countries.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
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Try setting a timer for yourself and seeing how much you can get done in quick bursts (with breaks in between, of course).—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The trio created fake Minnesota temporary drivers’ licenses using false names, with each license picturing one of the Thomases, federal prosecutors said.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Instead of picturing that exercise as long and gruesome, try breaking it up.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fantasizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantasizing. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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