fancy Definition
fancy (fan′sē)
noun pl. -·cies
- imagination, now esp. light, playful, or whimsical imagination
- illusion or delusion
- a mental image
- an arbitrary idea; notion; caprice; whim
- an inclination, liking, or fondness, often transient to take a fancy to someone
- Rare critical taste or judgment in art, dress, etc.
Etymology: ME fantsy, contr. < fantasie: see fantasy
adjective -·cier, -·ci·est
- based on fancy; capricious; whimsical; fanciful
- higher than real value; extravagant a fancy price
- made or added to please the fancy; ornamental; decorated; not plain; elaborate a fancy necktie
- of superior skill; intricate and difficult fancy diving
- of superior quality, and therefore more expensive canned goods graded fancy
- bred for some special feature or excellence of type: said of animals
transitive verb -·cied, -·cy·ing
- to form an idea of; imagine
- to have a liking for; be fond of to fancy rich desserts
- to believe something without being sure; suppose they are, I fancy, still friends
fancy Related Forms
fancy Idioms
fancy (that)!
can you imagine (that)!
the fancy
Obsolete the enthusiasts of some sport or hobby, esp. boxing
fancy Synonyms
fancy
modif.
fancy Synonyms
fancy
n.
Artistic creative power
conception, visualization, creation; see imagination 1.The mind at play
whimsy, fantasy, reverie, daydream, caprice, daydreaming, romancing, flight of fancy, flight of imagination, fancifulness, whimsicality, invention, imagining, make-believe. 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.Inclination
liking, partiality, wishes, preference; see desire 1, inclination 1.
fancy Synonyms
fancy
v.
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
Browse dictionary entries near fancy
- ‹ fanciful
- ‹ fancier
- ‹ fancied
- ‹ fanaticize
- ‹ fanaticism
- ‹ fanatical
- ‹ fanatic
- ‹ fan vaulting
- ‹ fan tracery
- ‹ fan-tan
- fancy dan ›
- fancy dress ›
- fancy-free ›
- fancy man ›
- fancy woman ›
- fancywork ›
- fandango ›
- fandom ›
- fane ›
- fanfare ›

