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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 Upstairs, there was a children’s wing, with a suite of rooms done in fanciful style for her daughter, the actress Dina Merrill. Miami Herasld Archives, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025 But policymakers should never again ignore the basics in pursuit of fanciful heterodox solutions. Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025 President Trump’s fanciful plan for Gaza will not happen; still his wacky vision actually undermines legitimate efforts to improve relations in the Mideast, with Israel’s Arab partners like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia looking for the exits. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025 These fanciful thought experiments have inspired new algorithms and helped researchers map the landscape of computation. Ben Brubaker, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
  • Then there’s The Island, a bizarre addition that blends traditional elements of role playing, live service and online multiplayer games together.
    Joshua Lamb, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The bizarre incident occurred early Tuesday when authorities say a man hopped a metal fence of a home in the 900 block of Wakefield Avenue and set fire to a black sedan in the front yard.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • With his absurd hair and larger-than-life persona, Trump is a walking meme.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • And next year, and for years to come, through trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is going to be here.
    Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The 10-episode series (now streaming) follows the follies of the fictitious NBA team, the Los Angeles Waves, after Isla Gordon (Hudson) steps in to run it with her brothers (Drew Tarver and Scott MacArthur) when another (Justin Theroux) checks into rehab.
    Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Another alleged scam involved the defendants posing as fictitious real estate owners and tricking victims into thinking a legitimate sale of property was occurring, then pocketing the money.
    Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Peter, though revered as an apostle worthy of veneration, is also portrayed in the Gospels as prone to mistakes, often foolish, and sometimes outright contradictory to God’s will.
    Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The notion that women should be flawless multitaskers, managing a perfect home and career while never showing vulnerability or weakness is not only unrealistic, but also foolish.
    Nicole Lipkin, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In the case of the imaginary fruit, for example, glucose and citric acid would be used.
    Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Some of the stories are set in the past, others in the present, and still others in an imaginary future.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The success of your AI initiatives doesn't depend on finding that mythical, perfect leader.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Under Azra’s oppressive regime, a rebellion headed by a mythical figure known as Uchawi, in alliance with the forest-dwelling Root Sisters, has grown in the shadows to take back Talamh and restore its magical essence.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 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
  • Set in a fictional recreation of the Secunderabad area that gives the film its title, early glimpses have already generated substantial buzz among Indian cinema fans.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The series follows the (fictional) famous televangelist family of the Gemstones, led by widowed patriarch Eli (played by John Goodman) alongside his immature children Jesse (Danny McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson) and Kelvin (Adam DeVine).
    Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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