fancy Hear it!

fancy Definition

fancy (fan′sē)

noun pl. -·cies

  1. imagination, now esp. light, playful, or whimsical imagination
  2. illusion or delusion
  3. a mental image
  4. an arbitrary idea; notion; caprice; whim
  5. an inclination, liking, or fondness, often transient to take a fancy to someone
  6. Rare critical taste or judgment in art, dress, etc.

Etymology: ME fantsy, contr. < fantasie: see fantasy

adjective -·cier, -·ci·est

  1. based on fancy; capricious; whimsical; fanciful
  2. higher than real value; extravagant a fancy price
  3. made or added to please the fancy; ornamental; decorated; not plain; elaborate a fancy necktie
  4. of superior skill; intricate and difficult fancy diving
  5. of superior quality, and therefore more expensive canned goods graded fancy
  6. bred for some special feature or excellence of type: said of animals

transitive verb -·cied, -·cy·ing

  1. to form an idea of; imagine
  2. to have a liking for; be fond of to fancy rich desserts
  3. to believe something without being sure; suppose they are, I fancy, still friends

fancy Related Forms

fan′·ci·less adjective fan′·cily adverb fan′·ci·ness noun

fancy Idioms

fancy (that)!

can you imagine (that)!

the fancy

Obsolete the enthusiasts of some sport or hobby, esp. boxing

fancy Synonyms

fancy

modif.

  1. Special

    select, choice, deluxe; see excellent, superior, unusual 1, 2.

  2. Ornamental

    elaborate, decorated, elegant, ornate, embellished, decorative, rich, adorned, ostentatious, gaudy, showy, florid, intricate, rococo, baroque, gingerbread, resplendent, sumptuous, lavish; see also elaborate 1, ornate 1.

fancy Synonyms

fancy

n.

  1. Artistic creative power

    conception, visualization, creation; see imagination 1.

  2. The mind at play

    whimsy, fantasy, reverie, daydream, caprice, daydreaming, romancing, flight of fancy, flight of imagination, fancifulness, whimsicality, invention, imagining, make-believe.

  3. The product of a playful mind

    caprice, whim, vagary, conceit, chimera, illusion, delusion, figment, fantasy, daydream, freak, freak of humor, notion, quirk, maggot, crotchet, passing fancy, humor, bubble, hallucination, fantastic notion; see also fantasy 2.

  4. Inclination

    liking, partiality, wishes, preference; see desire 1, inclination 1.

fancy Synonyms

fancy

v.

  1. To imagine

    envision, conceive, conjecture, suppose; see assume 1, imagine 1.

  2. To have a liking for

    like, be fond of, favor; see like 1, 2, 3.

fancy Usage Examples

Object

trip: Never mind about waiting for it to arrive on DVD... who fancies a trip to the cinema next week?

Converse of object

take: But here she took the fancy of the dashing, handsome and extravagant Prince of Wales - then only 21 years old.

Modifies a noun

  • dress: Everyone will be dressed in fancy dress or brightly colored clothes.
  • footwork: Yes, that's right, Salsa - complete with all the fancy footwork.
  • costume: Hire Costumes Fancy dress costumes, browse through our hire quality fancy dress costumes.
  • calculator: Some fancy calculators have a ` ` ^ ' ' key that does the same thing.
  • goldfish: This is often a problem with fancy goldfish whose abdominal cavity is tightly packed.
  • diamond: Natural fancy colored diamonds command very high prices, especially the more more popular colors.

Modifying Another Word

  • secretly: Chelsea sees through her mom's act and reckons that she secretly fancies Kevin.
  • ever: Ever fancy the thought of running your own business from home?
  • quite: And you know what worries me - I quite fancy having a real go at it!
  • rather: Rather fancy things that seem to give off an incredable amount of smoke.

Noun used with modifier

  • Anyone: Kustom PC's Forums General Sport Anyone fancy a Kustom World Cup 2006 Compo?
  • anybody: Baby Kudos Seahorse Fry 06/06/06 No Hi, anybody fancy a challenge?
  • I: Staples Online doesn't have anything I fancy, nor does IKEA.
  • nothing: An ordinary contract arose by correspondence - nothing fancy; no standard forms of contract.
  • anyone: There is a new US based weather site purely for skydiving; anyone fancy doing the same for the UK?
  • anything: Staples Online doesn't have anything I fancy, nor does IKEA.

Used with adjective complement

  • don't: Itâs you thatâs the problem, I donât fancy you.
  • do: Don't fancy Cole in the air against Stevie G or Crouch!

Browse dictionary entries near fancy

  1. ‹ fanciful
  2. ‹ fancier
  3. ‹ fancied
  4. ‹ fanaticize
  5. ‹ fanaticism
  6. ‹ fanatical
  7. ‹ fanatic
  8. ‹ fan vaulting
  9. ‹ fan tracery
  10. ‹ fan-tan
  1. fancy dan ›
  2. fancy dress ›
  3. fancy-free ›
  4. fancy man ›
  5. fancy woman ›
  6. fancywork ›
  7. fandango ›
  8. fandom ›
  9. fane ›
  10. fanfare ›