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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in likings

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Colin Newman and Malka Spigel, formerly of post-punk legends Wire and Minimal Compact, respectively, have certainly earned the right to rest on their laurels, cruise on autopilot, follow their fancies, or indulge in score-settling. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026 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

One of them, Wilf (played with a neat balance of boyishness and menace by Charlie Webb), fancies her. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026 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

In a matter of weeks, when the midterm results are tallied and the next campaign begins, Democrats with presidential dreams know the question will be coming.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
In his dreams, Jose Fiscal Belli is still living an all-American life with his all-American family.

— Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of dreams

Noun

From here on out, the authorship of Tae-ju’s life is ambiguous, as well as constantly in flux, buffeted by the whims and suggestions of others, as well as by her own impulses.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
But elevating the whims of progressive activists and government bureaucrats above the wisdom of the marketplace has proven a costly mistake and undermined consumer choice.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of whims

Noun

Within days, the image racked up nearly 500,000 likes, including from peers in the entertainment industry, despite the page being labeled as a fan account.

— Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
That can include posts, reposts or likes viewed as critical of the Saudi government or its leaders, even if they were shared while outside the country, according to the department.

— Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of likes

Verb

Swift appears as a spectral figure trying to warn Johnson that, based on her own experience, her rich husband has more sinister intentions than his current bride imagines.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
Our work re-imagines these ancient tombs as theatrical spaces, built to perpetuate a form of metaphysical human experience.

— Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of imagines

Noun

The words cut sharply into the jumble of to-do lists, fantasies, snippets of possible writing, worry, and leftover traces of postpartum depression that constituted my mind in the early months of 1993.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Every week, the critics and editors at The New York Times Book Review pick the most interesting and notable new releases, from literary fiction and serious nonfiction to thrillers, romance novels, fantasies, mysteries and everything in between.

— New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of fantasies

Noun

Western traditions of symmetry and notions of linear time are upended.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
That is followed by one focused on exploring conventional notions of beauty by uncovering the unexpected draw of unpleasant scents with Naïla Hamayed, Givaudan’s fragrance evaluator.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of notions

Noun

Even in cases in which the alliance could act collectively, such as through offensive cyber-operations, doing so requires consensus among 32 countries that have very different histories, domestic politics, and appetites for risk.

— Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Of note for more adventurous appetites are the oxtail and blue cheese pizza or Zambian whole bream fish.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of appetites

Browse Nearby Words

fanciers

fancies

fancies up

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fancies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fancies. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fancies

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vocation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes