fantastic

[ fan-tas-tik ]

adjective

1. extraordinarily good; excellent:

   a fantastic restaurant.

2. Also fan·tas·ti·cal [].
   1. conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque:

      The most fantastic rock formations are visible from the high plateau of the park’s rim trail.

      Artists rendered fantastic designs in the margin of the manuscript.

   2. fanciful or capricious, as persons or their ideas or actions:

      We never know what that fantastic creature will say next.

   3. imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational:

      You can’t let these fantastic fears of yours control your life.

   4. extravagantly fanciful; marvelous:

      The scenery and lighting they created for the dream sequences are truly fantastic!

   5. incredibly great or extreme; exorbitant:

      The rich are spending fantastic sums of money, even in this economy.

   6. highly unrealistic or impractical:

      They hatched a fantastic scheme to make a million dollars betting on horse races.

fantastic

/ fænˈtæstɪk /

adjective

1. strange, weird, or fanciful in appearance, conception, etc
2. created in the mind; illusory
3. extravagantly fanciful; unrealistic

   fantastic plans

4. incredible or preposterous; absurd

   a fantastic verdict

5. informal.
   very large or extreme; great

   a fantastic fortune

   he suffered fantastic pain

6. informal.
   very good; excellent
7. of, given to, or characterized by fantasy
8. not constant; capricious; fitful

   given to fantastic moods

noun

1. archaic.
   a person who dresses or behaves eccentrically

Derived Forms

• ˌfantastiˈcality, noun

Other Words From

• fan·tas·ti·cal·ly adverb
• fan·tas·ti·cal·ness fan·tas·ti·cal·i·ty [fan-tas-ti-, kal, -i-tee], noun
• su·per·fan·tas·tic adjective
• su·per·fan·tas·ti·cal·ly adverb
• un·fan·tas·tic adjective
• un·fan·tas·ti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fantastic¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fantastik “pertaining to the imaginative faculty,” from Medieval Latin fantasticus, variant of Late Latin phantasticus, from Greek phantastikós “able to present the appearence (of something),” derivative of phantázein “to make present to the eye or mind” (akin to phānós “light, bright,” phaínein “to bring to light, cause to appear”) + -tikos -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of fantastic¹

C14 fantastik imaginary, via Late Latin from Greek phantastikos capable of imagining, from phantazein to make visible

Synonym Study

See bizarre.

Example Sentences

"Clive has had a fantastic and distinguished career so we listen to what he has to say," he said.

From The Daily Beast

I had, for a long time, been curious about the place where all this fantastic stuff was made.

From The Daily Beast

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute has staged some truly fantastic shows over the past few years.

From The Daily Beast

It is completely nonsensical, and every second is fantastic.

From The Daily Beast

The story was a very subversive fairy tale by Roald Dahl, and a fantastic part.

From The Daily Beast

And is this a mere fantastic talk, or is this a thing that could be done and that ought to be done?

From Project Gutenberg

The music grew strange and fantastic—turbulent, insistent, plaintive and soft with entreaty.

From Project Gutenberg

The champagne was cold, and its subtle fumes played fantastic tricks with Edna's memory that night.

From Project Gutenberg

Mariamne had grown more fantastic, and capricious, and wayward than ever.

From Project Gutenberg

She vacantly hummed a fantastic tune as she poked at the wood embers on the hearth and munched a cracker.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• absurd
• crazy
• exotic
• fanciful
• grotesque
• imaginative
• implausible
• incredible
• insane
• ludicrous
• odd
• outlandish
• preposterous
• ridiculous
• singular
• unbelievable
• unreal
• weird