Definition

1. Noun:

   • A product of imagination unrestricted by reality: A mental creation or scenario that is not based on real events or facts, often elaborate and fanciful.
   • Fiction with a large amount of imagination: A genre or specific work of fiction characterized by highly imaginative, supernatural, or magical elements that depart from the known world.
   • A false or illusory belief held by many: A widespread but erroneous idea or perception about something.

2. Verb:

   • To indulge in fantasies: To consciously imagine pleasant or unlikely scenarios; to daydream.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The novel is a work of pure fantasy, set in a world with dragons and wizards.
  • His story about meeting an alien was just a fantasy.
  • The idea that money buys happiness is a common fantasy.

• Verb:

  • She often fantasizes about traveling the world.
  • He is fantasizing if he thinks he can finish that project in one day.

Advanced Usage

• "Fantasy life": The imaginary, often idealized, life a person creates in their mind.

  • His rich fantasy life provided an escape from a boring routine.

• "Fantasy world": A completely imaginary realm, often used to describe someone who is out of touch with reality.

  • You're living in a fantasy world if you think you don't need to study for the exam.

• "Fantasy football/baseball": A game where participants act as owners who build a team of real players and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance.

  • He spends hours each week managing his fantasy football team.

Variants and Related Words

• Fantastical (adj): Imaginative, strange, or unreal in a way that suggests fantasy.
  • The movie featured fantastical creatures.
• Fantasize (v): To create or indulge in fantasies. (This is the verb form directly derived from "fantasy").
  • It's nice to fantasize about winning the lottery.
• Fantasia (n): A musical composition with a free form and an improvisatory style, often suggesting fantasy.

Synonyms

• Daydream: A series of pleasant thoughts that distract one's attention from the present.
• Illusion: A false idea or belief.
• Fiction: Literature in the form of prose, especially novels, that describes imaginary events and people.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Fantasy" is not commonly used to form phrasal verbs. The related verbal action is typically "fantasize about.")

Related Idioms

• A flight of fancy/fantasy: An idea or story that is very imaginative and unlikely.
  • His plan to build a castle was merely a flight of fancy.
• In the realm of fantasy: Belonging to the world of imagination, not reality.
  • Such a perfect solution exists only in the realm of fantasy.

Noun

1. something many people believe that is false
   • they have the illusion that I am very wealthy
2. fiction with a large amount of imagination in it
   • she made a lot of money writing romantic fantasies
3. imagination unrestricted by reality
   • a schoolgirl fantasy

Verb

1. indulge in fantasies
   • he is fantasizing when he says he plans to start his own company