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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fanciful contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of fanciful are chimerical, fantastic, imaginary, quixotic, and visionary. While all these words mean "unreal or unbelievable," fanciful suggests the free play of the imagination.

a teller of fanciful stories

How does the word chimerical relate to other synonyms for fanciful?

Chimerical combines the implication of visionary and fantastic.

chimerical dreams of future progress

When could fantastic be used to replace fanciful?

The meanings of fantastic and fanciful largely overlap; however, fantastic implies incredibility or strangeness beyond belief.

a fantastic world inhabited by monsters

When is imaginary a more appropriate choice than fanciful?

The synonyms imaginary and fanciful are sometimes interchangeable, but imaginary applies to something which is fictitious and purely the product of one's imagination.

an imaginary desert isle

Where would quixotic be a reasonable alternative to fanciful?

The words quixotic and fanciful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quixotic implies a devotion to romantic or chivalrous ideals unrestrained by ordinary prudence and common sense.

a quixotic crusade

In what contexts can visionary take the place of fanciful?

The words visionary and fanciful can be used in similar contexts, but visionary stresses impracticality or incapability of realization.

visionary schemes

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fanciful The firm was started 150 years ago by Charles Fournier, a decorator who specialised in decorative painting and gilding and who rose to the fore during the Belle Époque, creating fanciful boiserie decor in ornate neo-18th-century style. Sofia Celeste, WWD, 30 Jan. 2025 In fact, in recent years, the art of hosting fanciful dinner parties with themes and custom menus has become more popular than ever, especially among young adults. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2025 President Donald Trump‘s eye-catching foreign policy at the start of his second term is more than just a series of fanciful, off-the-cuff suggestions and is rather an attempt to strong-arm unwilling leaders to the negotiating table, insiders say. Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Jan. 2025 To a soundtrack of orchestral chants or sea shanties, fanciful motifs flow from his old-school dip pen, conjuring scenes that hover between architectural ruins, theater sets, and sylvan dreamscapes. Mel Studach, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
  • The pilot episode of The Baldwins, TLC’s new reality show about actor Alec Baldwin and his family, is one of the darkest and most bizarre hours of television to appear in recent memory.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
  • The expo’s Instagram page documents visits to other cities and showcases many of the bizarre and dark art pieces and items people can buy, as well as some attendees’ costumes.
    Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • To even suggest that my clients were somehow resistant to other points of view, acted secretly and/or abusively or threatened anyone’s job is patently false and frankly absurd.
    Peter White, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2025
  • That would be absurd!’ Athwart Gravy Train Wreck James Lileks In the resistance world, Musk and Trump have fused into one dark bolus of evil, a grinning fleshy blob that throbs with malevolence: Muskentrump.
    George Weigel, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Created by Chris Romano and Eric Falconer, who also are believed to be back for the sequel, Blue Mountain State is about a fictitious university, Blue Mountain State, and its football team, the Mountain Goats.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Last month, its editor revealed that A.I. had been used to tweak the Hungarian accents of its stars, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, and to create fictitious architectural plans and buildings for the closing retrospective of the main character’s career.
    Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Miami would be foolish to hold onto him as the team still looks to be multiple years away from contending for a postseason berth.
    Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Currently 44-10 | On pace for 67-15 Underestimating the Cavs has proven to be a foolish practice this season.
    Zach Harper, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s when Cora fired up some kind of imaginary jukebox inside his head and proceeded to dance the day away.
    Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
  • Gradually, an imaginary narrative for the property took shape.
    Blaine Davis, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • So much so in fact, that echoes of that mythical landscape unexpectedly exist today outside a town three hours due north of Melbourne, Australia.
    Natalie Hoberman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Universal took to its official social media accounts to release the first photo from the film, which shows Matt Damon in costume as Odysseus, the mythical Greek hero who spends a decade trying to return home after fighting in the Trojan War.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • It’s got an immersive screen that makes games look unreal, and the OLED panel blows everything else out of the water with its colors and contrast.
    Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The circumstances surrounding many aspects of the trip seemed both surreal and unreal, and at times I was left wondering if Lumon had activated a yet-unknown-to-us part of the severance chip (à la The Matrix) to send the refiners on this journey in their minds.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Originally a spinoff of the NBC sitcom, A Different World first centered on Denise’s life as an undergrad at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia.
    Emily Krauser, People.com, 23 Feb. 2025
  • In any case, the ad includes a phone number for the fictional business: 1-732-858-5242.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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