fantasia

noun

fan·​ta·​sia fan-ˈtā-zhə How to pronounce fantasia (audio)
-zhē-ə,
-zē-ə;
ˌfan-tə-ˈzē-ə
1
: a free usually instrumental composition not in strict form
2
a
: a work (such as a poem or play) in which the author's fancy roves unrestricted
b
: something possessing grotesque, bizarre, or unreal qualities

Examples of fantasia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The latest surreal fantasia from the French Canadian circus phenome, Cirque du Soleil, delights the eye, as expected, but also stirs the soul with a dreamlike pageant that evokes the splendors of the natural world. Karen D'souza, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025 The Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Significant Other) film, starring Jack Quaid as a man named Nathan Caine who can't feel pain, has earned $8.7 million since its Friday premiere, overtaking Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi fantasia Mickey 17, which fell a precipitous 60% in its second week of release. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2025 Then came the moment that finally bled through this barrier between the undeniably tone-deaf Hollywood fantasia and horrifying rolling news: Michael Moore taking to the podium to accept his best-documentary-feature Oscar for Bowling for Columbine and condemning the then president, George W. Bush. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025 Conservatives dismiss the show as a pro-government fantasia where taxation is the panacea for society’s every ill, while liberals routinely point out how it’s rooted in a white, hetero POV that’s actually, ultimately, pretty centrist. Lizzie Logan, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for fantasia

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Italian, "imagination as a faculty, rare phenomenon, exotic object, refined ornament, improvised musical variation," borrowed from Late Latin phantasia "imagination as a faculty, mental image of something perceived physically" — more at fantasy entry 1

Note: The musical term is conventionally attributed to Italian, though the linguistic context in which it is first used is uncertain.

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fantasia was in 1724

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Cite this Entry

“Fantasia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fantasia. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fantasia

noun
fan·​ta·​sia fan-ˈtā-zhə How to pronounce fantasia (audio)
ˌfant-ə-ˈzē-ə
: a musical composition written without following a particular style

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