fancy
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- elaborate, baroque, decorative, embellished, extravagant, intricate, ornamental, ornate
[noun]
Synonyms:
- whim, caprice, desire, humour, idea, impulse, inclination, notion, thought, urge
- delusion, chimera, daydream, dream, fantasy, vision
[verb]
Synonyms:
- suppose, believe, conjecture, imagine, reckon, think, think likely
- wish for, crave, desire, hanker after, hope for, long for, thirst for, yearn for
- be attracted to, be captivated by, like, lust after, take a liking to, take to

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Contrasted words: awareness, experience, perception, actuality, fact, reality, deprecate, disapprove, abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, hate, loathe, demonstrate, prove, test, try
Related Idioms: flight of fancy, figment of the imagination, have a fancy (or hankering) for, have one's heart set on
Related Words: idea, irrationality, unreasonableness, contrariness, perverseness, envisagement, envisioning, objectification, fable, fabrication, fiction, figment, invention, concept, conception, notion, chimera, delusion, illusion, fata morgana, hallucination, mirage, approve, endorse, sanction

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. fan‧cy¹ S2 /ˈfænsi/ verb (past tense and past participle fancied, present participle fancying, third person singular fancies) [transitive]

1. LIKE/WANT British English informal to like or want something, or want to do something Synonym : feel like:
Fancy a quick drink, Emma?
fancy doing something
Sorry, but I don’t fancy going out tonight.

2. SEXUAL ATTRACTION British English informal to feel sexually attracted to someone:
All the girls fancied him.

3. fancy yourself British English informal to behave in a way that shows you think you are very attractive or clever:
That bloke on the dance floor really fancies himself.

4. fancy yourself (as) something British English to believe, usually wrongly, that you have particular skills or are a particular type of person:
He fancies himself an artist.
She fancies herself as another Madonna.

5. THINK SOMETHING WILL BE SUCCESSFUL British English to think someone or something is likely to be successful in something:
Which team do you fancy this year?
I don’t fancy our chances of getting a ticket this late.

6. fancy!/fancy that! British English spoken used to express your surprise or shock about something:
‘The Petersons are getting divorced.’ ‘Fancy that!’
Fancy seeing you here!

7. THINK/BELIEVE literary to think or believe something without being certain
fancy (that)
She fancied she heard a noise downstairs.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. fancy² noun (plural fancies)
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: fantasy]

1. LIKING/WISH [singular] especially British English
a) a feeling, especially one that is not particularly strong or urgent, that you like someone or want to have something
take a fancy to somebody/something (=decide that you like someone or want to have something)
Mr Hill took a real fancy to Clara.
Wanting to go to Mexico was just a passing fancy (=the feeling did not last long).
Because of its high cost, a carpet is not an item that you change as the fancy takes you (=whenever you want).
b) take/catch your fancy if something takes or catches your fancy, you like it or want to have it:
Did you see anything that took your fancy?

2. tickle sb’s fancy informal to seem attractive or amusing to someone:
The idea of playing a joke on her tickled his fancy.

3. IDEA [countable] old-fashioned an idea or opinion that is not based on fact:
Oh, that was just a fancy of his.

4. IMAGINATION [uncountable] literary imagination or something that you imagine ⇒ flight of fancy at flight(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. fancy³ S3 adjective (comparative fancier, superlative fanciest)

1. fancy hotels, restaurants, cars etc are expensive and fashionable Synonym : swanky:
Harry took me to a fancy restaurant for our anniversary.
fancy prices British English (=very high and often unreasonable prices)

2. having a lot of decoration or bright colours, or made in a complicated way:
fancy soaps in seashell shapes
I just want a basic sports coat – nothing fancy.

3. complicated and needing a lot of skill Antonym : straightforward:
I can’t do all that fancy stuff on the computer.
Negotiating a deal can take some fancy footwork (=skill at making deals).

4. [only before noun] American English fancy food is of a high quality

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲