fantasia

noun

fan·​ta·​sia fan-ˈtā-zhə 

-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

Advertisement Even without the Broadway fantasia that is the latest edition of Duane Reade (more on that one below), Mulaney’s hosting would have been tops for the 50th season so far, or at least neck-and-neck with Ariana Grande from a few weeks ago. —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024

But that bitterness was nowhere to be found within the candyland fantasia that was Perry’s Teenage Dream era. —Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2024

What happened, of course, was this: a glittering disco-soul fantasia that still ranks as one of the greatest album openers in pop history. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

The opposite turns out to be true, in fact: After all, even in this fantasia of an episode, Babe spends her dying breaths thinking not of her children (there gathered at her bedside) but about the one other man who broke her heart. —Manuel Betancourt, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2024

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

Kids Definition

fantasia

noun

fan·​ta·​sia fan-ˈtā-zhə 

ˌfant-ə-ˈzē-ə

: a musical composition written without following a particular style