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

3

: marked by or as if by fancy or whim

gave their children fanciful names

fancifully

ˈfan(t)-si-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

fancifulness

ˈfan(t)-si-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of fanciful

• bizarre
• absurd
• foolish
• unreal
• insane

Choose the Right Synonym for fanciful

imaginary, fanciful, visionary, fantastic, chimerical, quixotic mean unreal or unbelievable.

imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

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

For a nostalgia-stirring vacation with friends, Sarasota—a fanciful town on Florida’s scenic Suncoast—has easy appeal for everyone. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 6 June 2026

The idea that enterprise companies across the globe would risk their data by attempting to stand up their own cybersecurity solutions by leveraging an AI model is, indeed, proving fanciful. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2026

The fourth becomes a sophisticated lesson in arpeggios and the last, a fanciful passacaglia. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

The grid of four tiles features an illustration of a fanciful townhouse, along with drawings inspired by the comic book Archie’s Madhouse and antic cells from Donald Duck and The Katzenjammer Kids. —Carolina A. Miranda, The New York Review of Books, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

fancy entry 2 + -ful entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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

fancifully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

fancifulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun