fanciful
adjective
fan·ci·ful
ˈfan(t)-si-fəl 
1
: marked by fancy or unrestrained imagination rather than by reason and experience
a fanciful person
a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods
2
: existing in fancy (see fancy entry 2) only
a fanciful notion
the falsehoods about some fanciful secret treaties—
F. D. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt3
: marked by or as if by fancy or whim
gave their children fanciful names
Examples of fanciful in a Sentence
a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods
They gave all their children fanciful names.
Recent Examples on the Web
The splendid design was a bit of a departure from the many fanciful gowns that are typically taken for a spin in Cannes during this time of year.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 16 May 2025
The exposed brick walls are freshly painted ecru, and new oversize picture windows splash sunlight onto the furniture, like a 1950s coffee table with fanciful Jacques Blin tiles on top and some inevitable scuffs on its wood legs ($8,200).
—Craig Kellogg Ashok Sinha, New York Times, 16 May 2025
But his standing quickly unraveled as he was exposed for a slew of fanciful lies during his campaign about his background.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 9 May 2025
As the United States diverts resources toward fanciful efforts to defend its homeland against China’s comparatively low-cost attack capabilities, Beijing effectively strains U.S. resources at little cost to itself.
—Tong Zhao, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
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Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 16 May 2025
The exposed brick walls are freshly painted ecru, and new oversize picture windows splash sunlight onto the furniture, like a 1950s coffee table with fanciful Jacques Blin tiles on top and some inevitable scuffs on its wood legs ($8,200).
—Craig Kellogg Ashok Sinha, New York Times, 16 May 2025
But his standing quickly unraveled as he was exposed for a slew of fanciful lies during his campaign about his background.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 9 May 2025
As the United States diverts resources toward fanciful efforts to defend its homeland against China’s comparatively low-cost attack capabilities, Beijing effectively strains U.S. resources at little cost to itself.
—Tong Zhao, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanciful. Accessed 26 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fanciful
adjective
fan·ci·ful
ˈfan(t)-si-fəl
1
: having or showing free imagination rather than reason
a fanciful person
a fanciful tale
2
: existing in fancy only
a fanciful notion
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