fancy
1 of 3verb
fan·cy ˈfan(t)-sē 
fancied; fancying
transitive verb
1
: to have a fancy (see fancy entry 2 sense 1) for : like
He's all right, I suppose, but I can't say that I fancy him.
2
: to form a conception of : imagine
fancy our embarrassment
Just fancy my surprise when I heard that he was getting married.
3
a
: to believe mistakenly or without evidence
b
: to believe without being certain
she fancied she had met him before
real or fancied wrongs
4
: to visualize or interpret as
fancied myself a child again
fancy
2 of 3noun
plural fancies
1
a
: a liking formed by caprice rather than reason : inclination
took a fancy to the mutt
b
: amorous fondness : love
She took a fancy to the young man.
2
a
: notion, whim
b
: an image or representation of something formed in the mind
3
archaic : fantastic quality or state
4
a
: imagination especially of a capricious or delusive sort
His plans to build a new stadium are the product of pure fancy.
b
: the power of conception and representation used in artistic expression (as by a poet)
5
: taste, judgment
a person of delicate fancy
6
a
: devotees of some particular art, practice, or amusement
b
: the object of interest of such a fancy
especially : boxing entry 1
fancy
3 of 3adjective
fancier; fanciest
1
: dependent or based on fancy : whimsical
2
a(1)
: not plain : ornamental
a fancy hairdo
(2)
: swank sense 2, posh
a fancy restaurant
b(1)
: of particular excellence or highest grade
fancy tuna
(2)
: impressive
posted some fancy numbers
c
of an animal or plant : bred especially for bizarre or ornamental qualities that lack practical utility
3
: based on conceptions of the fancy
fancy sketches
4
a
: dealing in fancy goods
b
: extravagant
paying fancy prices
5
: executed with technical skill and style
fancy footwork
fancy diving
6
: parti-color
fancy carnations
fancily
ˈfan(t)-sə-lē
adverb fanciness
ˈfan(t)-sē-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
Verb
- conceit [chiefly dialect]
- conceive
- conjure (up)
- dream
- envisage
- envision
- fantasize
- fantasy
- feature
- ideate
- image
- imagine
- picture
- see
- vision
- visualize
Noun
- chimera
- conceit
- daydream
- delusion
- dream
- fantasy
- phantasy
- figment
- hallucination
- illusion
- nonentity
- phantasm
- fantasm
- pipe dream
- unreality
- vision
Adjective
- complex
- complicated
- detailed
- elaborate
- intricate
- involved
- sophisticated
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb Which horse do you fancy in the Derby? try to fancy, if you can, our mother on an elephant when she was touring India Noun His plans to build a new stadium are the product of pure fancy. Critics have dismissed his plan as mere fancy. Adjective He drives a big, fancy car. we're having a little get-together after the concert—nothing fancy See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2022 Then again, who wouldn’t fancy a 6-foot-11 left-hander who can snatch a rebound, create his own fast break and either pull up for a 3-pointer, deliver a precise pass or drive for a dunk? New York Times, 6 July 2022 Many fancy the use of legislation with quotas to improve board diversity. Patricia Lenkov, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Up in England, United aren't the only Manchester club who fancy De Jong, with Premier PINC +1.4% League champions Manchester City also admirers of the ex-Ajax promise. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 26 May 2022 The key ingredient in every recipe, though, is always us: the people who fancy themselves the arbiters of what makes a dog a dog. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2022 Although rival Barcelona is compiling some enviable players in central areas, and Atlético Madrid will stick around near the top, Real will fancy another league title if Tchouameni is available for selection when August comes. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 2 June 2022 In the same way that some true crime enthusiasts fancy themselves amateur, independent investigators, some are drawn in by watching someone else make an extreme choice, like going on the run with a criminal, Vicary said. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 May 2022 If Yungblud led a cult, many would join — even those who fancy themselves hard to persuade. Maria Sherman, SPIN, 2 May 2022 Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 14 Aug. 2022 Our Thoughts: If chili from a can is your thing, then this chili cheese dog may strike your fancy. cleveland, 19 July 2022 Don’t fret, there are also cozy sweatpants and lightweight shorts that are sure to tickle your fancy. Daisy Maldonado, SELF, 25 Mar. 2022 From there, your flights of fancy can come to fruition. Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 28 July 2022 But there was something about the situation in the Beehive State that struck his fancy. Alex Vejar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 May 2022 The one that really caught our fancy was her class on chewy chapatis; aromatic beef, chicken, or vegetable curry; and ugali with steamed cabbage. Bon Appétit, 13 May 2022 Peter Sellers couldn’t have concocted a more deranged flight of fancy. Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 The Wildcat's interior is show-car fancy, with exotic-looking seats that would be appropriate in a Ferrari, maybe, but in a Buick SUV? Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 1 June 2022 Jocelyn Noveck, ajc, 10 Sep. 2022 The name of the fancy building, today a co-op, comes from that illustrious branch of her family. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 That’s how many times this author looked underneath the 2013 Boss 302 Laguna Seca to make sure some crafty Ford employee hadn’t replaced the solid axle with a fancy-pants independent-rear-suspension setup. Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2022 For years, real-estate agents showed Parker places that were too fancy and lacked the local character that had been drawing her to Long Island as a renter for more than a decade. Stacie Stukin, ELLE Decor, 28 July 2022 The structure at Baltimore and Howard streets was never fancy. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2022 And if that's not fancy enough for you, there's also another figurine that'll truly make any diehard Moon Knight fan envious. Milan Polk, Men's Health, 20 Apr. 2022 Go ahead, get fancy — a string of pearls or a jaunty ascot are perfectly appropriate for tea. Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2022 Urophilia is a fancy name for watersports, golden showers, or the more direct name, pee play. Angie Jones, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2022 See More
Verb
Both fancy themselves cold and calculating grifters, but are not prepared to play on the level at which Lalo and Mike exist. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2022 Then again, who wouldn’t fancy a 6-foot-11 left-hander who can snatch a rebound, create his own fast break and either pull up for a 3-pointer, deliver a precise pass or drive for a dunk? New York Times, 6 July 2022 Many fancy the use of legislation with quotas to improve board diversity. Patricia Lenkov, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Up in England, United aren't the only Manchester club who fancy De Jong, with Premier PINC +1.4% League champions Manchester City also admirers of the ex-Ajax promise. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 26 May 2022 The key ingredient in every recipe, though, is always us: the people who fancy themselves the arbiters of what makes a dog a dog. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2022 Although rival Barcelona is compiling some enviable players in central areas, and Atlético Madrid will stick around near the top, Real will fancy another league title if Tchouameni is available for selection when August comes. Henry Flynn, Forbes, 2 June 2022 In the same way that some true crime enthusiasts fancy themselves amateur, independent investigators, some are drawn in by watching someone else make an extreme choice, like going on the run with a criminal, Vicary said. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 May 2022 If Yungblud led a cult, many would join — even those who fancy themselves hard to persuade. Maria Sherman, SPIN, 2 May 2022 Noun
If so, these comical names might tickle your fancy. Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 14 Aug. 2022 Our Thoughts: If chili from a can is your thing, then this chili cheese dog may strike your fancy. cleveland, 19 July 2022 Don’t fret, there are also cozy sweatpants and lightweight shorts that are sure to tickle your fancy. Daisy Maldonado, SELF, 25 Mar. 2022 From there, your flights of fancy can come to fruition. Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 28 July 2022 But there was something about the situation in the Beehive State that struck his fancy. Alex Vejar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 May 2022 The one that really caught our fancy was her class on chewy chapatis; aromatic beef, chicken, or vegetable curry; and ugali with steamed cabbage. Bon Appétit, 13 May 2022 Peter Sellers couldn’t have concocted a more deranged flight of fancy. Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 The Wildcat's interior is show-car fancy, with exotic-looking seats that would be appropriate in a Ferrari, maybe, but in a Buick SUV? Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 1 June 2022 Adjective
The vibe was a mix of fancy and casual, of sequins and sweatshirts. Jocelyn Noveck, ajc, 10 Sep. 2022 The name of the fancy building, today a co-op, comes from that illustrious branch of her family. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 That’s how many times this author looked underneath the 2013 Boss 302 Laguna Seca to make sure some crafty Ford employee hadn’t replaced the solid axle with a fancy-pants independent-rear-suspension setup. Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2022 For years, real-estate agents showed Parker places that were too fancy and lacked the local character that had been drawing her to Long Island as a renter for more than a decade. Stacie Stukin, ELLE Decor, 28 July 2022 The structure at Baltimore and Howard streets was never fancy. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2022 And if that's not fancy enough for you, there's also another figurine that'll truly make any diehard Moon Knight fan envious. Milan Polk, Men's Health, 20 Apr. 2022 Go ahead, get fancy — a string of pearls or a jaunty ascot are perfectly appropriate for tea. Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2022 Urophilia is a fancy name for watersports, golden showers, or the more direct name, pee play. Angie Jones, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English fantasien, fantesien, fancyen "to plan, devise, create, form (an idea), imagine (something false), desire," in part derivative of fantasie, fantsy, fansey fancy entry 2, in part borrowed from Middle French fantasier "to imagine, invent," verbal derivative of fantasie fantasy entry 1
Noun
Middle English fantasie, fantsy, fansey "the imagination as a faculty, mental image produced by this faculty, deluded notion, figment of the imagination, preference directed by caprice rather than reason, liking" — more at fantasy entry 1
Note: The disyllabic form, a rare variant of fantasie fantasy entry 1 in Middle English, became more common and began to separate in sense from fantasie/fantasy in early Modern English.
Adjective
from attributive use of fancy entry 2
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing fancy
Kids Definition
fancy 1 of 3
adjective
fan·cy ˈfan-sē
fancier; fanciest
1
: not plain or ordinary
a fancy dress
2
: being above the average (as in quality or price)
fancy fruits
3
: done with great skill and grace
fancy diving
fancy
2 of 3noun
plural fancies
1
: imagination sense 1
a flight of fancy
2
: liking
She took a fancy to her new neighbors.
3
: idea sense 2, notion
… Oz had a fancy to make the balloon in different shades of the color about them. L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Ozfancy
3 of 3verb
fancied; fancying
1
: to have a liking for
I've never fancied Halloween.
2
: imagine sense 1
I fancied that I would have married him … Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved
Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Lovedfancy 1 of 3
adjective
1
as in detailed
made or done with great care or with much detail we're having a little get-together after the concert—nothing fancy Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- detailed
- intricate
- elegant
- complicated
- elaborate
- sophisticated
- complex
- involved
- exquisite
- extravagant
- ornate
- magnificent
- frilly
- showy
- splendid
- ostentatious
- grandiose
- fancified
- flamboyant
- grand
- exuberant
- overwrought
- chichi
- convoluted
- souped-up
- labyrinthine
- involuted
- labyrinthian
- Byzantine
- involute
- gimmicked (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- simple
- unsophisticated
- unfancy
- plain
- modest
- uncomplicated
- no-frills
- unadorned
- naked
- bare
- plain-Jane
- plain-vanilla
- bald
- undecorated
- unvarnished
2
as in excessive
going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount decided they would rather go without dinner than pay the hotel restaurant's fancy prices Synonyms & Similar Words
- excessive
- extravagant
- extreme
- steep
- insane
- lavish
- endless
- infinite
- baroque
- exorbitant
- devilish
- plethoric
- inordinate
- undue
- overmuch
- immoderate
- intolerable
- overextravagant
- unconscionable
- inappropriate
- towering
- stiff
- over the top
- overdue
- overweening
- unbearable
- unmerciful
- improper
- a bit much
- limitless
- boundless
- unseemly
- unwarranted
- unjustifiable
- immeasurable
- thick
- unrestrained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reasonable
- modest
- moderate
- inadequate
- insufficient
- minimal
- middling
- deficient
- minimum
- temperate
fancy
2 of 3noun
1
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality a writer with a prodigious talent for creating fancies that captivate readers young and old Synonyms & Similar Words
- dream
- illusion
- daydream
- fantasy
- vision
- idea
- delusion
- pipe dream
- imaging
- fantasm
- nightmare
- conceit
- unreality
- mirage
- hallucination
- phantasm
- chimera
- figment
- phantasy
- castle in Spain
- fiction
- concoction
- castle in the air
- nonentity
- visualization
- ignis fatuus
- will-o'-the-wisp
- fable
- utopia
- cloudland
- fabrication
- envisaging
- brainchild
- invention
- cloud-cuckoo-land
- Shangri-la
- daymare
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fact
- reality
- actuality
2
as in whim
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action is this a serious interest in music, or just your latest fancy that will be forgotten after a week? Synonyms & Similar Words
- whim
- vagary
- whimsy
- notion
- megrim
- thought
- bee
- freak
- fantasy
- caprice
- impression
- kink
- fancifulness
- crank
- whimsey
- maggot
- vagrancy
- bee in one's bonnet
- humor
- image
- picture
- whimsicality
- concept
- conceit
- freakishness
- capriciousness
- conception
- inspiration
- phantasy
- impetuosity
- brainstorm
- mind's eye
3
as in like
positive regard for something now that he's rich he's taken a fancy to expensive sports cars Synonyms & Similar Words
- like
- liking
- preference
- appetite
- use
- taste
- love
- craving
- fondness
- relish
- tendency
- enthusiasm
- thirst
- desire
- interest
- favor
- shine
- partiality
- love affair
- longing
- hankering
- inclination
- bent
- tooth
- prejudice
- propensity
- bias
- yen
- weakness
- leaning
- passion
- palate
- gusto
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dislike
- disgust
- hatred
- aversion
- distaste
- loathing
- mislike
- indifference
- disinclination
- disfavor
- apathy
- unconcern
4
as in imagination
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others to fans of Lewis Carroll, the animal creations of his fertile fancy are as real as any creature to be found at the zoo Synonyms & Similar Words
- imagination
- creativity
- imaginativeness
- fantasy
- contrivance
- inventiveness
- fertility
- invention
- originality
- ideation
- phantasy
- dream
- ingenuity
- inspiration
- daydream
- pipe dream
- brainstorming
- fantasm
- illusion
- versatility
- resourcefulness
- brainstorm
- mirage
- delusion
- fecundity
- visualization
- hallucination
- phantasm
- envisaging
- chimera
- figment
- mind's eye
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- literalness
- literality
fancy
3 of 3verb
1
as in to imagine
to form a mental picture of try to fancy, if you can, our mother on an elephant when she was touring India Synonyms & Similar Words
- imagine
- dream
- envision
- see
- picture
- feature
- fantasy
- conceit
- vision
- fantasize
- visualize
- envisage
- conceive
- plan
- contemplate
- daydream
- image
- ideate
- invent
- muse
- concoct
- manufacture
- conjure (up)
- reflect
- project
- ponder
- hallucinate
- foresee
- reminisce
- re-create
- make up
- ruminate
- relive
- meditate
- stargaze
- fabricate
- prefigure
2
as in to like
to take pleasure in the teacher didn't fancy the idea of failing the student, even if he was the class clown Synonyms & Similar Words
- like
- enjoy
- love
- relish
- adore
- savor
- take to
- savour
- go for
- admire
- be partial to
- appreciate
- dig
- rejoice (in)
- prefer
- get off (on)
- delight (in)
- value
- have a soft spot for
- groove (on)
- revere
- prize
- get a charge out of
- revel (in)
- get a kick out of
- worship
- treasure
- venerate
- cherish
- idolize
- devour
- favor
- dote (on)
- feast (on)
- drink (in)
- cotton (to)
- indulge (in)
- eat (up)
- luxuriate (in)
- wallow (in)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hate
- dislike
- loathe
- detest
- abhor
- despise
- abominate
- condemn
- scorn
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of fancy are conceive, envisage, envision, imagine, realize, and think. While all these words mean "to form an idea of," fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires.
fancied himself a super athlete
The words conceive and fancy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design.
conceived of a new marketing approach
Both envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed.
envisaged a totally computerized operation
envisioned a cure for the disease
The meanings of imagine and fancy largely overlap; however, imagine stresses a visualization.
imagine you're at the beach
While the synonyms realize and fancy are close in meaning, realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.
realized the enormity of the task ahead
In some situations, the words think and fancy are roughly equivalent. However, think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection.
I just thought of a good joke