FANCIES Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

fancies 1 of 2

noun

plural of fancy

as in dreams

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in whims

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?

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as in likings

positive regard for something now that he's rich he's taken a fancy to expensive sports cars

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fancies

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fancy

as in imagines

to form a mental picture of try to fancy, if you can, our mother on an elephant when she was touring India

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as in enjoys

to take pleasure in the teacher didn't fancy the idea of failing the student, even if he was the class clown

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fancies

Noun

London quite fancies using alignment to secure market access in sectors beyond those currently under negotiation. — Anand Menon, Time, 13 June 2026 With its eclectic collection of vinyl records and board games, Kibbitznest, a WiFi-free book bar in Lincoln Park, has been capturing the fancies of those seeking a digital detox for nearly a decade. — Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 Yenor now fancies doing a little discrimination of his own. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 Child actor Jax James has been set in the series regular role of Dougie, Maureen’s only son who is not even ten but acts like a 60-year-old scholar and has no time for childish fancies. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026 Schenn, at 36 years old, is not a legitimate everyday defenseman, certainly not for a team that (rightly) fancies itself a contender. — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026 While Maluma never called this swanky condo home, the 31-year-old singer and rapper appreciates plenty of other high-end fancies. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2025 At least there were idealists who dreamed such fancies, and their dreams were the pretext for creating this nation. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025

Verb

Either way, this is a dangerous way for a team that fancies itself as a perennial contender to annually live. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026 On the one hand, Ramsay fancies himself as a footballer. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 24 June 2026 When the dreams start bleeding into real life, Charlie — who fancies himself an amateur detective — convinces his brother and friends to investigate Lorcan’s mysterious origins, a thread that soon unravels an entire secret fantasy world kept under wraps by the elders of the island. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 1 May 2026 And Ripi fancies itself as a disruptor. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 19 Mar. 2026 Jackson fancies himself an American Sadat, performing the most sensitive, high-profile diplomatic missions for the president but without the accountability of appointive office. — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 Gronk makes his game prediction Boise State may be coming into Saturday’s game as an underdog by over a touchdown, but Gronkowski fancies the Broncos’ chances. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 13 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fancies

Noun

McGehean says this emphasis on working well together is the only way to achieve dreams.

— Jessica Bryant, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
His videos drew dozens of aspiring food truck owners, many of them immigrants like Ochoa, who entrusted him with their life savings in hopes of turning their dreams into a livelihood.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of dreams

Noun

But an outdoor garden, no matter how beautiful and lovingly designed or how innovatively used in the menu, is susceptible to the whims of Miami’s humid, rainy, extraordinarily lengthy summers.

— Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
The players are not responsible for the whims of their ownership.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of whims

Noun

Roughly 450 users reacted with likes or hearts, while about 480 responded with laughing emojis, underscoring the divided response.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
As a psychologist who works with teens, Sophia Choukas-Bradley has heard from clients who spend an hour after having posted on social media obsessively refreshing their screens, watching their likes accumulate.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of likes

Verb

Switzerland imagines Highsmith as a recluse in the Alps, closely guarding a cache of weapons and secrets after a lifetime spent writing mysteries.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
The Komlós conjecture imagines each person (or object) as an arrow of length 1 called a unit vector.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of imagines

Verb

At the same time, the collaboration enjoys enormous gains on two other lists.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Opponents say the current setup is just right and that Iceland already enjoys all the benefits of European integration without the sovereignty compromises that inevitably will come from being a full member.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of enjoys

Noun

Then come the notions and hardware, like earring posts, beads and crystal accents, that complete the transformation from fleeting flora to lasting adornment.

— Leigh-Ann Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
My novel The Rayburn Affair lays bare notions of friendship, rivalry, envy, authorship, and power.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of notions

Browse Nearby Words

fanciers

fancies

fancies up

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Style

“Fancies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancies. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of fancies

noun

verb

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