fancy Hear it!

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fancy definition

fancy (fan′sē)

noun pl. fancies -·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 fancier -·cier, fanciest -·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 fancied -·cied, fancying -·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

Related Forms:

fancy Idioms

fancy (that)!

can you imagine (that)!

the fancy

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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms fancy idiom

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

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

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.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

fancy Usage Examples

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.

Modifying Another Word

  • ever: Ever fancy the thought of running your own business from home?

Noun used with modifier

  • Anyone: Kustom PC's Forums General Sport Anyone fancy a Kustom World Cup 2006 Compo?

Used with adjective complement

  • don't: Itâs you thatâs the problem, I donât fancy you.
fancy usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

fancy quotes

Wideand undetermined prospects areas pleasing tothe fancy, as the speculations of eternity or infinitude are to the understanding.

-Addison,Joseph

It would be unsound fancy and self-contradictory to expect that things which have never yet been done can be done except by means which have never yet been tried.

-Bacon, Francis,Viscount St Albans

The fancy of the mass of men is incredibly weak; it can see nothing without a visible symbol, and there is much that it can scarcely make out with a symbol.

-Bagehot,Walter

fancy quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"fancy." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/fancy>

APA Style

fancy. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/fancy

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