fancy

fan-cy · adjective, noun, verb

imported

Definitions

adjective, noun, verb

  1. 1.

    Elaborate or decorative; not plain or ordinary.

  2. 2.

    (British informal) To feel a desire or liking for.

  3. 3.

    A feeling of liking or attraction; a whim or inclination.

  4. 4.

    The faculty of imagination, especially as expressed in art.

  5. 5.

    (Of food or goods) Of high quality or expensive.

  6. 6.

    (British informal) To find someone attractive.

  7. 7.

    To imagine or suppose.

Forms

plural: fancies

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    fancy that — An expression of surprise
  • •
    tickle someone's fancy — To appeal to or attract someone
  • •
    flight of fancy — An imaginative but impractical idea
  • •
    fancy footwork — Skillful maneuvering, either literal or figurative
  • •
    fancy-free — Without romantic commitment

Related words

Antonyms: basic, plain, simple
See also: desire, elaborate, imagination
Synonyms: decorative, desire, elaborate, ornate

Etymology

From Middle English fantasie, from Old French fantaisie, ultimately from Greek phantasia ("imagination, appearance"). The contraction to "fancy" occurred in the 16th century.