fanciful

[ fan-si-fuhl ]

adjective

1. characterized by or showing fancy; capricious or whimsical in appearance:

   a fanciful design of butterflies and flowers.

2. suggested by fancy; imaginary; unreal:

   fanciful lands of romance.

   Synonyms: illusory, baseless, visionary

3. led by fancy rather than by reason and experience; whimsical:

   a fanciful mind.

fanciful

/ ˈfænsɪfʊl /

adjective

1. not based on fact; dubious or imaginary

   fanciful notions

2. made or designed in a curious, intricate, or imaginative way
3. indulging in or influenced by fancy; whimsical

Derived Forms

• ˈfancifully, adverb
• ˈfancifulness, noun

Other Words From

• fanci·ful·ly adverb
• fanci·ful·ness noun
• over·fanci·ful adjective
• over·fanci·ful·ly adverb
• over·fanci·ful·ness noun
• un·fanci·ful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fanciful¹

First recorded in 1620–30; fancy + -ful

Example Sentences

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.

From Los Angeles Times

You argue that the very notion of the marketplace of ideas is itself so utterly fanciful and corroded that the notion that we just take away constraints and the good ideas unerringly rise to the top has to be insane, right?

From Slate

Talk of the Golden Boot might have been fanciful at the start of the season but Wood is currently in that bracket.

From BBC

He added the suggestion police should not have spoken about the case was "fanciful".

From BBC

Half a century ago, such ideas were received by the scientific community as speculative at best and fanciful at worst.

From Slate

Related Words

• absurd
• bizarre
• extravagant
• fantastic
• fantastical
• fictional
• imaginative
• offbeat
• preposterous
• unreal
• whimsical