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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fantastic different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and grotesque are common synonyms of fantastic. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When is it sensible to use bizarre instead of fantastic?

The meanings of bizarre and fantastic largely overlap; however, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

Where would grotesque be a reasonable alternative to fantastic?

Although the words grotesque and fantastic have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Examples 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 fantastic Flag football The stage is set for a fantastic inaugural Southern Section Division 1 championship game in girls’ flag football between Orange Lutheran and Newport Harbor on Saturday. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 If there was enough going on that our fantastic PR people were able to get those three people in the theatre to say hello to us, something in the sauce was working. Jeff Conway, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 How To Make Beet Salad This beet salad is a fantastic no-cook side dish for dinner or a holiday meal. Julia Levy, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024 For those looking for a more professional-level leaf blower, this model is a fantastic choice. Sandi Schwartz, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fantastic 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fantastic
Adjective
  • Physicists debated for decades (opens a new tab) whether this bizarre superfluid-solid hybrid could exist.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
  • When her favorite author from childhood reemerges with a new book and a chance to win the only existing copy, Lucy sets out to win this bizarre competition filled with riddles and games.
    The Courier-Journal, The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Set in the fictional town of Salem, Illionois, Days of Our Lives follows the lives of several families including the Bradys, the Hortons, the Carvers, the DiMeras and the Kiriakises.
    Marc Berman, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Plus, this isn't that much of a political fantasy: There's no way both the president and the vice president could be women, even in this fictional world.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • High-end options feature intense realism, including flocked finishes and incredible body detail.
    Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Before the snow flies weekly in western mountain towns, these crisp cold days can lead to incredible riding conditions—morning frost and just enough sun often give way to silky smooth hero dirt.
    Lily Ritter, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Then there’s Cleo’s nervy 30-something daughter, Grace — the wonderful Zoë Geltman — who’s always been the good girl but whose loins are newly afire for her brother-in-law, Roy (Gabriel Brown).
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
  • The box includes only a USB-A-to-USB-C cable for charging. Sound: Powerful Bass and Clean Highs Simply put, the Bose SoundLink Home sounds wonderful.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • In this rosy way of thinking, Trump won’t ever stand for election again and has a legacy to consider — a fanciful notion that is plainly a triumph of hope over experience.
    Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • With a cartoon aesthetic only the early Space Age could deliver, the fanciful four-wheeler was not fully appreciated in its time.
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The United States has always been a marvelous mélange of diverse interests and priorities, sometimes divided, and sometimes held together by one or two overarching themes that create an illusion of unanimity.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Everybody was a captain who was living in these marvelous homes.
    Shannon Carlin, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Unable to enjoy the same freedom as past generations of kids (for example, playing on sidewalks or roaming freely in the countryside), these early 2000s kids were carving out freedom in virtual or imaginary spaces.
    Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • Trump’s coattails may be imaginary at this point, but the insiders on the ground in Michigan know this reality: at this point in 2016—two weeks before Election Day—Hillary Clinton was up 8 points on Trump; Clinton lost by one-third of 1 point when the votes were actually counted.
    Philip Elliott / Detroit, TIME, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • North Carolina State University researchers found that deer movement can be excellent the last hour of daylight during the last-quarter phase of the moon.
    Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Additionally, this maintenance is an excellent time for the IRS to test its systems to ensure that many people can submit their tax returns simultaneously.
    Nathalie Goldstein, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near fantastic

Cite this Entry

“Fantastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fantastic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on fantastic

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