variants also fantastical
Definition of fantasticnext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fantastic different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and grotesque are common synonyms of fantastic. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When is it sensible to use bizarre instead of fantastic?

The meanings of bizarre and fantastic largely overlap; however, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

Where would grotesque be a reasonable alternative to fantastic?

Although the words grotesque and fantastic have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

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 fantastic The Cubs had a fantastic opportunity to clinch a playoff spot Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins, needing a win or an Arizona Diamondbacks loss to get into the postseason. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 This take-out staple is easy enough to recreate at home and fantastic for family dinners. — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Matching the sociopathic charm and menace of Tom Ripley is a tall order, and Ehrenreich is a fantastic match for it. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026 The Great Race is on Sunday, and conditions are looking fantastic for the race. — Ron Smiley, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fantastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantastic
Adjective
  • Appropriated from a John Cale album, the title accurately describes scenes of bloodletting committed by bizarre, scenery-chewing yakuza members, and the energy hovers somewhere around a bloodier-than-baseline Takashi Miike movie from the mid-2000s.
    — Vadim Rizov, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her family and church life remained opaque, but her bizarre comedic timing and magnetic onscreen presence turned her into everyone’s favorite reality-TV anti-hero.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Her story featured her own original music and an interview with a friend, who is in his 60s, and who has never had a romantic relationship before.
    — Anya Steinberg, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Investigations into how police use the cameras further revealed a national pattern of unsupervised searches allowing officers to stalk romantic interests.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Although this hypothetical technology was long considered to be exclusively a fictional idea, a growing number of physicists have begun to wonder if warp drives might really be possible, and if not in a practical sense, at least on paper.
    — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This fictional tale based on real events looks at the impact of civil war on the country, just as Yemen is on the edge of a possible return to the conflict that killed 150,000 and brought many others close to famine.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • But Crow-Armstrong, through an incredible early-season approach adjustment combined with tweaks to his stance and hand placement, keeps putting on a show with his power production.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • With stunning use of practical effects and an incredible lead performance, this is one of the best horror films of the 2020s.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Reclaiming the work of women selling fish, and the word that was an insult but is now a beautiful brand, is a wonderful turn of phrase and time, to us.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But De Santis is also wonderful at the end of the day, when the sun sets and Milan slowly begins to wind down.
    — Emma Bocchi, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Of course now, in the comfort of modernity, the whole idea seems absurd.
    — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Saying white players such as Clark or Bueckers should pay homage to their Black peers is as absurd as saying Steph Curry and Jalen Brunson should pay homage to their tall peers.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Through its Conservation Stewardship Project, volunteers help remove invasive exotic plants and restore native vegetation in the environmental area.
    — Susan Soldavin, Baltimore Sun, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Visit the palace and stroll through its exotic gardens, dine in the historic market square, and have a nightcap at a high-end cocktail bar for a taste of the true Monaco lifestyle.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Most writers don’t have those constraints, real or imaginary.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fantastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantastic. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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