Meaning & use
fancy
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Decorated, elaborate or expensive, not plain.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after a verb: a fancy dress; the hotel was fancy.
Patterns
- a fancy restaurant
- too fancy for something
They had dinner at a fancy restaurant.
I don't need anything fancy, just a simple sandwich.
She wore a fancy hat to the wedding.
verbtransitiveBritishinformal
To want or like something, especially in a casual way.
Grammar: British informal: fancy a coffee? Takes an object or an -ing form.
Patterns
- fancy something
- fancy doing something
Do you fancy a walk after lunch?
I could really fancy a pizza tonight.
He fancied going to the beach.
verbtransitiveBritishinformal
To feel romantically or physically attracted to someone.
Grammar: British informal and takes a person object.
Patterns
- fancy someone
Everyone knew he fancied her.
She didn't fancy him at all.
I think my brother fancies your sister.
verbtransitiveold-fashioned
To imagine or suppose something, often with mild surprise.
Grammar: Often an old-fashioned way to react: fancy that!
Patterns
- fancy that
- fancy something
Fancy meeting you here!
He fancied he heard footsteps.
Just fancy, she won the lottery.
nounsingularold-fashioned
A passing liking or desire for something.
Grammar: Usually with a: take a fancy to something.
Patterns
- take a fancy to something
She took a fancy to the old clock.
It was just a passing fancy.
He followed his fancy and moved abroad.
Word forms
| comparative | fancier |
|---|---|
| superlative | fanciest |
| third person singular | fancies |
| past tense | fancied |
| past participle | fancied |
| -ing form | fancying |
| plural | fancies |
Common combinations
- fancy restaurant
- We ate at a fancy restaurant.
- fancy dress
- The kids wore fancy dress to the party.
- take a fancy to
- The cat took a fancy to my chair.
- fancy a drink
- Do you fancy a drink?
- fancy footwork
- Her fancy footwork impressed the crowd.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elaborate
- Elaborate stresses detailed complexity and is neutral or formal.
- posh
- Posh is British and suggests high social class or luxury.
- ornate
- Ornate means richly decorated and suits furniture or architecture.
- fancy-pants
- Fancy-pants is a joking label for someone showy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fancy or fantasy?
fancy vs fantasy
A fantasy is an imagined situation, while fancy as a noun is a passing liking.
Practice
Which sentence shows fancy in its British sense of 'want'?
Choose one answer.
Fancy a cup of tea means want one. The other sentences use the adjective meaning elaborate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fancy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.