Other forms: fancied; fancies; fancying; fanciest; fancily
Fancy can be an adjective, noun, or a verb. As an adjective, it’s the opposite of plain. The noun names something that isn’t real. When someone likes or wants something, the verb can be used: “I fancy a cup of tea.” Doesn’t that sound fancy?
Fancy is an old contraction of the word fantasy. You’ll often see this word used in the phrase “flights of fancy.” This phrase refers to an unrealistic goal or idea such as, “He has flights of fancy about running off to Hollywood and becoming a movie star.” Fancy can also be used as an expression of affection. If you have a crush on someone, for instance, you could say that you “took a fancy” to him or her.
Definitions of fancy
adjective
not plain; decorative or ornamented
“fancy handwriting”
“fancy clothes”
synonyms:
adorned, decorated
provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction
aureate, flamboyant, florid
elaborately or excessively ornamented
baroque, churrigueresco, churrigueresque
having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation
busy, fussy
overcrowded or cluttered with detail
dressy
in fancy clothing
crackle
having the surface decorated with a network of fine cracks, as in crackleware
damascene
(of metals) decorated or inlaid with a wavy pattern of different (especially precious) metals
damask
having a woven pattern
elaborate, luxuriant, ornate
marked by complexity and richness of detail
battlemented, castellated, castled, embattled
having or resembling repeated square indentations like those in a battlement
fanciful
having a curiously intricate quality
fantastic
extravagantly fanciful in design, construction, appearance
lacelike, lacy
made of or resembling lace
puff, puffed
gathered for protruding fullness
rococo
having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation
vermicular, vermiculate, vermiculated
decorated with wormlike tracery or markings
rhetorical
given to rhetoric, emphasizing style at the expense of thought
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antonyms:
plain
not elaborate or elaborated; simple
unadorned, undecorated
not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction
austere, severe, stark, stern
severely simple
bare, mere, simple
apart from anything else; without additions or modifications
chaste
pure and simple in design or style
dry
(of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish
dry
having no adornment or coloration
featureless
lacking distinguishing characteristics or features
homely
plain and unpretentious
inelaborate, unelaborate
not elaborate; lacking rich or complex detail
literal
avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis)
simple
unornamented
tailored, trim
severely simple in line or design
vanilla
plain and without any extras or adornments
unpretentious
lacking pretension or affectation
unrhetorical
not rhetorical
simple
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
show more antonyms...
verb
imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
synonyms:envision, figure, image, picture, project, see, visualise, visualize
realise, realize, see, understand
perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
visualise, visualize
form a mental picture of something that is invisible or abstract
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type of:
conceive of, envisage, ideate, imagine
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
noun
something many people believe that is false
synonyms:fantasy, illusion, phantasy
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types:
bubble
an impracticable and illusory idea
ignis fatuus, will-o'-the-wisp
an illusion that misleads
wishful thinking
the illusion that what you wish for is actually true
type of:
misconception
an incorrect conception
noun
a kind of imagination that was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than true imagination
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type of:
imagination, imaginativeness, vision
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
noun
a predisposition to like something
synonyms:fondness, partiality
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type of:
liking
a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment
verb
have a fancy or particular liking or desire for
“She fancied a necklace that she had seen in the jeweler's window”
synonyms:go for, take to
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type of:
desire, want
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
Pronunciation
US
/ˈfænsi/
UK
/ˈfænsi/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘fancy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing fancy
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The guilt-ridden narrator of this grisly story tries to convince the reader of his sanity. Read the full text here.Click here to explore other works by Edgar Allan Poe.
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This scathing dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials is also an allegory of Senator Joseph McCarthy's pursuit of Communists in the 1950s.
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