1
as in bizarre
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
she harbors the fanciful notion that she has a talent for singing
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2
as in mythic
not real and existing only in the imagination
the fanciful creatures that J.R.R. Tolkien created for his Middle Earth novels
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Recent Examples of fanciful
That’s unlikely, if not fanciful, given the network’s role in bankrolling college athletics.
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Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
On top of some shelves, pink and white branches topped with small lights are grouped to create a fanciful forest effect.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Creeping Toadflax wall covering provides a fanciful backdrop for a tented nook crafted of Ian Mankin’s Ticking Stripe in Rose.
—Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 2024
Some of the many fanciful gingerbread buildings that arose there were supposedly designed by the scandalously famous architect Stanford White and bore a resemblance to the Hotel del Coronado, which opened the same year.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fanciful 
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024
On top of some shelves, pink and white branches topped with small lights are grouped to create a fanciful forest effect.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Creeping Toadflax wall covering provides a fanciful backdrop for a tented nook crafted of Ian Mankin’s Ticking Stripe in Rose.
—Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 2024
Some of the many fanciful gingerbread buildings that arose there were supposedly designed by the scandalously famous architect Stanford White and bore a resemblance to the Hotel del Coronado, which opened the same year.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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Her material consists of tales of her bizarre upbringing, highly unconventional family, and filterless confessions of her time on this filthy planet.Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2024
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Red One seemed like a bizarre experiment, some sort of action film-adjacent Santa Claus movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans that almost seemed to be a sort of parody of itself.Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But the series, like the film, shows that vampires are also multidimensional — vulnerable, emotional, funny, absurd — and completely out of place in the modern world.Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Photo: Their lives often appear dramatic and borderline absurd.Daisy Jones, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Is Eggers’s the scariest because I’m jaded and over-exposed to gory content of all sorts—fictitious or otherwise?Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2024
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To avoid legal repercussions, the crew constructed a series of fake foam tombstones to strategically block real ones, complete with fictitious names that jokingly nodded to the cast and crew.Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Stated simply, the policy errors made with regard to money were uniquely foolish.John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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Premature predictions of renewal would be foolish and, as Howe continually stressed, Newcastle cannot allow one strong outing to be followed by another meek one.Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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As Callas glides from a conversation with her butler to an interview with an imaginary journalist to strained rehearsals with a patient pianist, the music of her past invades the narrative — sometimes in visually fantastical ways.Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
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Likely, Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and assorted proxy accounts are already actively boosting versions of Houthi claims or other disinformation in ways that take the imaginary Houthi victories into a realm of far more insidious and closely watched disinformation networks.Peter Suciu, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There’s its mythical leader as represented in creepy murals; the Egan family, whose members speak with religious fervor about capitalist enterprise; and Mark’s boss Mr. Milchick, played by series breakout Tramell Tillman, whose dance moves from a sinisterly awkward office party went viral.Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
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When to book Kayak confirms what USA TODAY has mentioned before: there's no mythical best time to book anymore.Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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And meet the sweetest boy with the unreal outfit that caught the eye of Mama Swift.Bryan West, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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That’s how unreal next year’s No. 1 overall pick has been.Michael Salfino, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This reps Knox’s first appearance in a fictional television series.Matt Minton, Variety, 19 Dec. 2024
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Both my fictional White House staff and the viewing public recognized at the time that this was not President Bartlet’s finest hour.Martin Sheen, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fanciful
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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