fancy (ˈfænsɪ
)
Definitions
adjective
- not plain; ornamented or decorative ⇒
a fancy cake
fancy clothes
- requiring skill to perform; intricate ⇒
a fancy dance routine
- arising in the imagination; capricious or illusory
- ((often used ironically) superior in quality or impressive ⇒
a fancy course in business administration
- higher than expected ⇒
fancy prices
- (of a domestic animal) bred for particular qualities
noun
- a sudden capricious idea; whim
- a sudden or irrational liking for a person or thing
- the power to conceive and represent decorative and novel imagery, esp in poetry. Fancy was held by Coleridge to be more casual and superficial than imagination See imagination (sense 4)
- an idea or thing produced by this
- a mental image
- taste or judgment, as in art of dress
fantasy fantasia music a composition for solo lute, keyboard, etc, current during the 16th and 17th centuries- See the fancy
verb
(tr)- to picture in the imagination
- to suppose; imagine ⇒
I fancy it will rain
- (often used with a negative) to like ⇒
I don't fancy your chances!
- (reflexive) to have a high or ill-founded opinion of oneself ⇒
he fancied himself as a doctor
- informal to have a wish for; desire ⇒
she fancied some chocolate
- British informal to be physically attracted to (another person)
- to breed (animals) for particular characteristics
exclamation
fancy that! an exclamation of surprise or disbelief
Alternative Forms
ˈfancily adverb ˈfanciness nounWord Origin
C15 fantsy , shortened from fantasie; see fantasySynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
elaborate,
decorated,
decorative,
extravagant,
intricate,
baroque,
ornamented,
ornamental,
ornate,
elegant,
fanciful,
embellished,
=
wish for,
want,
desire,
would like hope for dream of
relish,
long for
crave,
be attracted to yearn for thirst for hanker after have a yen for
Quotations
"Ever let the fancy roam,Pleasure never is at home"
"Tell me where is fancy bred,Or in the heart or in the head?"
Translations
- British English:
fancy
If you fancy something, you want to have it or do it.Do you fancy going to see a film sometime?ˈfænsɪ VERB Do you fancy going to see a film sometime?
- Spanish:
apetecer
v
- French: être attiré par vi
- German: jemanden attraktiv finden v
- Chinese: 想象 v
- Arabic: يَرْغَبُ في vt
- Portuguese: estar fisicamente atraído v atraída
- Russian: воображать v
- Croatian: fantazija nf
- Czech: líbit (se) v
- Danish: kunne tænke sig v
- Dutch: voorstellen (zich) v
- Finnish: tykätä v
- Greek: συμπαθώ v
- Italian: piacere v
- Japanese: ･･･が気に入る v
- Korean: 공상하다 v
- Norwegian: forestille (seg) v
- Polish: mieć ochotę na v
- Brazilian Portuguese: gostar de vi atraída
- European Spanish:
apetecer
v
- Swedish: tycka om v
- Thai: ปราถนา v
- Turkish: hoşlanmak v
- Vietnamese: thích v
- British English:
fancy
Something that is fancy is special and not ordinary.We were all wearing fancy clothes.ˈfænsɪ ADJECTIVE We were all wearing fancy clothes.
- French:
sophistiqué
adj
- Arabic: مُزَيَّن adj
- Brazilian Portuguese: pomposo adj pomposa
Usage examples
They're only interested in the stuff that lets them play with their fancy computer databases.
, THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)You got used to the fact you had to have monitors everywhere and fancy alarms.
Globe and Mail (2003)I must say, I wouldn't fancy hearing out Boycott on the technical toils of Tiger Woods.
Glasgow Herald (2001)They did not fancy seeing their teaching on sale for sixpence a week; they also resented seeing their inadequacies exposed in print.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)