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fantastic

 - 2 dictionary results

fan⋅tas⋅tic

  [fan-tas-tik]
Use fantastic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque: fantastic rock formations; fantastic designs.
2. fanciful or capricious, as persons or their ideas or actions: We never know what that fantastic creature will say next.
3. imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational: fantastic fears.
4. extravagantly fanciful; marvelous.
5. incredibly great or extreme; exorbitant: to spend fantastic sums of money.
6. highly unrealistic or impractical; outlandish: a fantastic scheme to make a million dollars betting on horse races.
7. Informal. extraordinarily good: a fantastic musical.
Also, fan⋅tas⋅ti⋅cal.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME fantastik pertaining to the imaginative faculty < ML fantasticus, var. of LL phantasticus < Gk phantastikós able to present or show (to the mind), equiv. to *phantad-, base of phantázein to make visible (akin to phānós light, bright, phaínein to make appear) + -tikos -tic

Related forms:
fan⋅tas⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
fan⋅tas⋅ti⋅cal⋅ness, fan⋅tas⋅ti⋅cal⋅i⋅ty, noun

Synonyms:
1. Fantastic, bizarre, grotesque share a sense of deviation from what is normal or expected. Fantastic suggests a wild lack of restraint, a fancifulness so extreme as to lose touch with reality: a fantastic scheme for a series of space cities. In informal use, fantastic often means simply “exceptionally good”: a fantastic meal. Bizarre means markedly unusual or extraordinarily strange, sometimes whimsically so: bizarre costumes for Mardi Gras; bizarre behavior. Grotesque implies shocking distortion or incongruity, sometimes ludicrous, more often pitiful or tragic: a grotesque mixture of human and animal features; grotesque contrast between the forced smile and sad eyes: a gnarled tree suggesting the figure of a grotesque human being.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fantastic
fan·tas·tic   (fān-tās'tĭk)   
adj.  

  1. Quaint or strange in form, conception, or appearance.

    1. Unrestrainedly fanciful; extravagant: fantastic hopes.

    2. Bizarre, as in form or appearance; strange: fantastic attire; fantastic behavior.

    3. Based on or existing only in fantasy; unreal: fantastic ideas about her own superiority.

  3. Wonderful or superb; remarkable: a fantastic trip to Europe.

n.  An eccentric person.

[Middle English fantastik, imagined, from Old French fantastique, from Late Latin phantasticus, imaginary, from Greek phantastikos, able to create mental images, from phantazesthai, to appear; see fantasy.]
fan·tas'ti·cal'i·ty (-tĭ-kāl'ĭ-tē) n., fan·tas'ti·cal·ly adv.
Synonyms: These adjectives apply to what is very strange or strikingly unusual. Fantastic describes what seems to have slight relation to the real world because of its strangeness or extravagance: fantastic imaginary beasts such as the unicorn.
Bizarre stresses oddness that is heightened by striking contrasts and incongruities and that shocks or fascinates: a bizarre art nouveau façade.
Grotesque refers principally to deformity and distortion that approach the point of caricature or even absurdity: statues of grotesque creatures.
Fanciful applies to what is strongly influenced by imagination, caprice, or whimsy: a fanciful pattern.
Something exotic is unusual and intriguing: painted landscapes in exotic colors.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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