fantasy

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A pleasant idea or daydream about something that is unlikely to happen.

   Grammar: Countable for a particular daydream; uncountable for the idea in general.

   Patterns

   • a fantasy about something

   He had a fantasy of winning the lottery.

   Her dream of a quiet life remained a fantasy.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   A genre of fiction with magic, invented worlds or supernatural beings.

   Grammar: Often a modifier: fantasy novel.

   She reads fantasy every weekend.

   The film is a fantasy about dragons.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountabledisapproving

   Something imagined that is not real, often used to criticize wishful thinking.

   Grammar: Used with a negative tone.

   The idea that it will be easy is a fantasy.

   Their plan was pure fantasy.

4. 4noununcountablesport

   In sports, a game where players pick real athletes for imaginary teams.

   Grammar: Used before nouns: fantasy football.

   He joined a fantasy football league.

   Fantasy baseball keeps friends connected.

Word forms

Common combinations

live in a fantasy world

He lives in a fantasy world.

fantasy novel

She wrote a fantasy novel.

pure fantasy

The rumor was pure fantasy.

escape into fantasy

Kids escape into fantasy through books.

childhood fantasy

Flying was her childhood fantasy.

Synonyms and how they differ

daydream

A daydream is a short, usually pleasant thought during idle moments.

illusion

Illusion suggests a false belief that seems real.

delusion

A delusion is a strongly held false belief, often serious.

Opposites

Word family

fantasize verb

to daydream about something

fantastic adjective

wonderful or unreal

fantastical adjective

strange and imaginary

Commonly confused: fantasy or phantasy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fantasy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words