Word: fanciful (adjective)

Associations

The word "fanciful" describes something that is imaginative, not based on reality, or very creative in a way that might seem unrealistic or dreamy.

• A fanciful story. This means a story full of imagination, maybe about magical creatures or impossible events.
• A fanciful idea. This is an idea that sounds nice but might not be practical or real.
• Fanciful decorations. These are decorations that look very creative and unusual, maybe like something from a fairy tale.

Synonym: "imaginative" is similar, but "fanciful" often suggests something more unrealistic or dreamy, while "imaginative" can be practical too.

Substitution

You can use words like:

• imaginative (more positive, creative)
• whimsical (playful, light, and unusual)
• unrealistic (if you want to stress it is not real) Changing "fanciful" to "whimsical" makes it sound more playful; changing to "unrealistic" makes it more negative.

Deconstruction

"Fanciful" comes from the root "fancy," which means imagination or liking. The suffix "-ful" means "full of." So "fanciful" means "full of fancy" or full of imagination. Historically, "fancy" was used to mean imagination or a mental image, so "fanciful" describes something made from imagination.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a fanciful book or movie you like? Why do you think it is fanciful?
• How is a fanciful idea different from a practical idea in your daily life?
• Have you ever created something fanciful, like a drawing or a story? What made it fanciful?