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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fanciful
But catastrophes have a way of focusing attention on solutions that might once have been dismissed as fanciful or impossible.
—
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
However, a fanciful title charge would collapse in November and early December in a period where Spurs picked up one point from five league matches.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Glancing at goals specifically, catching Erling Haaland’s unprecedented 36 in one campaign looks fanciful.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
In many cases those stories or accusations are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
However, a fanciful title charge would collapse in November and early December in a period where Spurs picked up one point from five league matches.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Glancing at goals specifically, catching Erling Haaland’s unprecedented 36 in one campaign looks fanciful.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
In many cases those stories or accusations are nothing more than old news, fanciful exaggerations, or sometimes blatant misrepresentations of fact.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fanciful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanciful
Adjective
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Sinner won a bizarre semifinal in his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban, while Alcaraz triumphed in a sloppy duel.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Known for its deluge of gruesome deaths that just get more bizarre with each iteration, Final Destination is now returning for a sixth movie.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The biggest change, however, has been in fly ball frequency - his fly ball rate is now an absurd 50.0%, higher than any 2024 MLB regular.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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What else can be said about Judge’s absurd start to this season?—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The Scheme To carry out the fraud scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators created fictitious employers and lists of alleged employees—those lists were generated using personally identifiable information (PII) gleaned from thousands of identity theft victims.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The girl is in the Brazilian capital, but the headset transports her to a fictitious Indigenous village in the Atlantic rainforest, where capybaras and jaguars dart across the landscape.—
Constance Malleret,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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And this is not a story of corporate greed run amok, because Walmart would be foolish to try to gouge its customers at a time when economic anxiety is high (more on that in a moment).—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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Peters said the training from Wayne State's Institute of Gerontology has helped credit union employees to better frame probing questions that will get a positive response without making members feel foolish.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Draw an imaginary line from the magnitude 2.3 star Merak, which forms the outer base of the 'bowl', through Dubhe, the star positioned as the 'pouring tip' of the asterism.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
20 May 2025
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The mastermind behind covert action, Frank Wisner, never paused to consider that his cure for defeating an imaginary worldwide communist conspiracy was worse than the disease.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The green obsidian was also thought to have a symbolic connection to Tollan, a mythical city where the god Quetzalcoatl lived, which was believed to be the ancestral origin of Mexico’s civilizations.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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Helios, the Greek god of the sun, and Luna, the mythical goddess of the moon, stand guard at either end of Celestial Park.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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By 2028, Hunter should be bigger and stronger, traits that will complement his unreal combination of speed and athleticism.—
Tashan Reed,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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The pressure to succeed is completely overwhelming, and the constant comparison to something that is unreal can become too much for anyone.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Ready to swap the real-world drama for a fictional web of secrets and lies?—
Andrea Bartz,
People.com,
18 May 2025
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It’s set in the (fictional) city of Eddington, NM, where the local sheriff, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joe Cross, tools around town responding to minor crises like noise complaints.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fanciful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanciful. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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