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
Of course, if a prominent individual in government with conservative or even reactionary views indicates their displeasure with Trump, that’s a signal to the Democratic Party that the center can hold, that a fanciful abundance of swing voters can be yet persuaded of the error of their ways.
—
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
Bert’s fanciful figures are reminiscent of Yokai, a Japanese art form used to bring to life inner fears and anxieties to better defeat negative thoughts.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025
Overall, the actions proposed in the new executive orders range from the fanciful to the potentially reasonable.
—ArsTechnica, 27 May 2025
Absent Huawei this might be fanciful, but China’s leading technology company already has an Android alternative.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
Bert’s fanciful figures are reminiscent of Yokai, a Japanese art form used to bring to life inner fears and anxieties to better defeat negative thoughts.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025
Overall, the actions proposed in the new executive orders range from the fanciful to the potentially reasonable.
—ArsTechnica, 27 May 2025
Absent Huawei this might be fanciful, but China’s leading technology company already has an Android alternative.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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Some 40 of these bizarre, geochemically-active sub-Neptunes are currently being studied observationally.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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As a result of a bizarre last-minute decision, the nominees in two Emmys categories will be announced Tuesday morning on CBS nearly four hours ahead of the TV Academy’s official nominations announcement, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The French super powerhouse has taken teams part since winning the UEFA Champions League crown on May 24, outscoring its foes by an absurd 21-1 margin.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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From the vantage point of 2025, this appears as absurd as suggesting that women’s soccer matches should be 70 minutes instead of 90, the same as in the men’s game.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Further blurring fact from fiction is this latest approach of trying to capitalize on a TikTok viral moment by having a fictitious creator recite the words of a real creator.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
10 July 2025
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Senegal just ditched its plans for the singer’s multibillion-dollar smart city in the country, reminiscent of Marvel’s fictitious nation in its Black Panther franchise.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Underestimating China would be a grave error, but underestimating the United States would be equally foolish.—
Damien Ma,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
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Gi-hun himself proved a tough protagonist to root for when the show began, as a foolish gambling addict hoping to reconnect with his family but who becomes obsessed with the games anyway.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The Royal Observatory Greenwich is home to Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian, an imaginary line of longitude, designated as 0 degrees that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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The soundtrack shifts toward lighter indie rock and away from brain-numbing redundancies, while the story treats those imaginary genre sketches like an accidental off-ramp left in the rearview.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Its mythical story left an indelible mark on my mind.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Opened in 2020, the museum features interactive exhibits dedicated to the mythical sea creature.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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In a sit-down interview, Goldberg said the amount of disrespect Gunther had for Goldberg was unreal.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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And, if Mateer and Ott are as-advertised, this could be an unreal year for the Sooners.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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In April 2025, Pascale Hutton, who plays Rosemary Coulter, shared a post on Instagram posing with her on-screen husband, Kavan Smith, who portrays Leland Coulter, and their fictional daughter, Marigold.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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Again, these are fictional groups from a Netflix movie (albeit, of course, with real singers behind them).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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