fantastic
1 of 2adjective
fan·tas·tic fan-ˈta-stik 
fən-
variants or less commonly fantastical
fan-ˈta-sti-kəl
1
a
: based on fantasy (see fantasy entry 1 sense 2) : not real
b
: conceived or seemingly conceived by unrestrained fancy
fantastic new space and nuclear weapons
Jack Raymond
Jack Raymond c
: so extreme as to challenge belief : unbelievable
a fantastic industrial complex of steel, coal, machine tools, and other heavy industries M. S. Handler
M. S. Handler broadly : exceedingly large or great
spent fantastic sums on his library
2
: marked by extravagant fantasy or extreme individuality : eccentric
fantastic works of art
3
fantastic : excellent, superlative
a fantastic meal
fantasticality
(ˌ)fan-ˌta-stə-ˈka-lə-tē
noun fən-
fantasticalness
fan-ˈta-stə-kəl-nəs
noun fantastic
2 of 2noun
: eccentric sense 1
Synonyms
Adjective
- absurd
- bizarre
- crazy
- fanciful
- foolish
- insane
- nonsensical
- preposterous
- unreal
- wild
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective The train runs at fantastic speeds. a fantastic scheme for getting rich quick
Recent Examples on the Web Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 8 Sep. 2022 Outside linebacker Nick Herbig, whose get-off time was fantastic, recorded two sacks. Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 For all the flaws in the piece, the song suite is fantastic and the book offers far more than the various authorized, and thus sanitized, histories of Motown and its artists that followed on Broadway. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 What unites each of their filmographies is a penchant for naturalism, something Wingard also weaves into his non-Kong genre work like the fantastic The Guest. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2022 The production value is fantastic, and supporting turns from Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe and Richard Jenkins are great as usual. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 30 Aug. 2022 Levi Medina, the person behind the fantastic but unfortunately now closed Portu-Galo food truck, opened the cafe and coffee house in the early days of the pandemic. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022 Meanwhile, representing the fellow villains are Ronny Cox and Michael Ironside, who are both fantastic. Johnny Loftus, EW.com, 24 Aug. 2022 There’s this Givenchy one and a Bottega one that is fantastic. Monique Wilson, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2022 Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2022 However, guest pianist Linda Gentille and Assistant Cruise Director Richard Rubin’s shows were over-the-top fantastic. Debbi Kickham, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2022 After a banner 2021 for high-end genre films, industry vets are hopeful that the fantastic can resurrect the corpse of pre-COVID theatrical distribution. Jamie Lang, Variety, 12 Feb. 2022 With more modern styling inside and out as well as the familiar fantastic-to-drive behavior, the reborn Golf GTI attracts new enthusiasts, continues to reward the faithful, and again makes our 10Best and Editors' Choice lists. Car and Driver, 4 Feb. 2022 Camille and Mindy want to go to this fantastic-sounding house party. Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021 The galactic fantastic without human anguish: kid stuff. New York Times, 12 Oct. 2021 This installation gestures more toward the fantastic with a few hints of flight. New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021 Neil Gaiman first became widely known for his marvelous Sandman graphic novels, each a tour de force of the shadowy fantastic. Bill Tipper, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2021 See More
Adjective
Because our alignment right now – and the like-mindedness of all of our member institutions – is fantastic. Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 8 Sep. 2022 Outside linebacker Nick Herbig, whose get-off time was fantastic, recorded two sacks. Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 For all the flaws in the piece, the song suite is fantastic and the book offers far more than the various authorized, and thus sanitized, histories of Motown and its artists that followed on Broadway. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 What unites each of their filmographies is a penchant for naturalism, something Wingard also weaves into his non-Kong genre work like the fantastic The Guest. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2022 The production value is fantastic, and supporting turns from Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe and Richard Jenkins are great as usual. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 30 Aug. 2022 Levi Medina, the person behind the fantastic but unfortunately now closed Portu-Galo food truck, opened the cafe and coffee house in the early days of the pandemic. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022 Meanwhile, representing the fellow villains are Ronny Cox and Michael Ironside, who are both fantastic. Johnny Loftus, EW.com, 24 Aug. 2022 There’s this Givenchy one and a Bottega one that is fantastic. Monique Wilson, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2022 Noun
But the reading of Ti’s last wishes sets Josie on a journey to learn her mother’s history, to encounter the fantastic, to discover herself and her own power — and to fight. Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2022 However, guest pianist Linda Gentille and Assistant Cruise Director Richard Rubin’s shows were over-the-top fantastic. Debbi Kickham, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2022 After a banner 2021 for high-end genre films, industry vets are hopeful that the fantastic can resurrect the corpse of pre-COVID theatrical distribution. Jamie Lang, Variety, 12 Feb. 2022 With more modern styling inside and out as well as the familiar fantastic-to-drive behavior, the reborn Golf GTI attracts new enthusiasts, continues to reward the faithful, and again makes our 10Best and Editors' Choice lists. Car and Driver, 4 Feb. 2022 Camille and Mindy want to go to this fantastic-sounding house party. Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021 The galactic fantastic without human anguish: kid stuff. New York Times, 12 Oct. 2021 This installation gestures more toward the fantastic with a few hints of flight. New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021 Neil Gaiman first became widely known for his marvelous Sandman graphic novels, each a tour de force of the shadowy fantastic. Bill Tipper, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
fantastic going back to Middle English fantastik "of imagination as a faculty, produced by the imagination, not real, unfounded, false, supernatural," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French fantastique, borrowed from Late Latin phantasticus "of the imagination, deceptive, imaginary," borrowed from Greek phantastikós "able to produce the appearance of something, resulting from the imagination," from phantast- (stem in nominal derivation corresponding to phantasía "appearance, image, imagination" and phantázein "to make visible, present to the eye or mind, (middle voice) place before one's mind, imagine") + -ikos -ic entry 1; fantastical going back to Middle English fantasticalle, from fantastik + -alle -al entry 1 — more at fantasy entry 1
Noun
derivative of fantastic entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1598, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing fantastic
Kids Definition
fantastic
adjective
fan·tas·tic fan-ˈta-stik
1
: produced by or like something produced by the imagination
a fantastic scheme
2
: extremely good
That was a fantastic meal.
3
: barely believable
We moved at a fantastic speed.
fantastic
adjective
variants also fantastical
1
as in bizarre
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality a fantastic scheme for getting rich quick Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bizarre
- fanciful
- crazy
- wild
- funny
- absurd
- ridiculous
- incredible
- unreal
- insane
- strange
- foolish
- unbelievable
- nonsensical
- preposterous
- weird
- extravagant
- odd
- inconceivable
- unimaginable
- implausible
- unthinkable
- peculiar
- off the wall
- grotesque
- quirky
- curious
- eccentric
- ludicrous
- quaint
- laughable
- wacky
- surreal
- kinky
- screwy
- nightmarish
- outlandish
- outré
- bizarro
- farcical
- kooky
- whacky
- dreamlike
- queerish
- kookie
- queer
- far-out
- way-out
- out-of-the-way
- Alice-in-Wonderland
- Kafkaesque
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reasonable
- realistic
2
as in marvelous
excitingly or mysteriously unusual to European explorers, the Far East was a fantastic land filled with unimaginable riches Synonyms & Similar Words
- marvelous
- marvellous
- exotic
- picturesque
- strange
- fascinating
- romantic
- glamorous
- colorful
- glamourous
- outlandish
- magical
- bizarro
- distant
- quaint
- foreign
- enchanting
- alluring
- alien
- captivating
- remote
- picture-book
- faraway
- dark
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- familiar
- unglamorous
- nonexotic
- unexotic
- nonglamorous
- unromantic
- plain-Jane
3
as in fictional
not real and existing only in the imagination a science fiction writer who can conjure up fantastic worlds and make them seem as real as our own Synonyms & Similar Words
- fictional
- imaginary
- imagined
- fictitious
- fantasied
- mythical
- mythic
- imaginal
- fabulous
- unreal
- ideal
- fanciful
- invented
- phantom
- chimerical
- phantasmal
- unbelievable
- phantasmic
- pretend
- notional
- visionary
- made-up
- romantic
- legendary
- chimeric
- make-believe
- hypothetical
- unlikely
- fabled
- theoretical
- abstract
- unconvincing
- conceived
- pictured
- visualized
- envisioned
- deceptive
- illusory
- envisaged
- hallucinatory
- phantasmagoric
- theoretic
- phantasmagorical
- nonexistent
- concocted
- delusive
- fictive
- daydreamlike
- delusional
- fabricated
- feigned
- inexistent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- real
- actual
- true
- genuine
- authentic
- existing
- solid
- realistic
- existent
- substantial
- factual
- convincing
- believable
- physical
- verifiable
- tangible
- material
- palpable
- corporeal
- verified
4
as in incredible
too extraordinary or improbable to believe concocted some fantastic story to try to explain why they had returned home so late Synonyms & Similar Words
- incredible
- unbelievable
- inconceivable
- unimaginable
- implausible
- incredulous
- unthinkable
- ridiculous
- unconvincing
- comical
- unlikely
- silly
- full of it
- unconceivable
- shaky
- uncompelling
- impossible
- questionable
- absurd
- fishy
- suspect
- unreasonable
- debatable
- flimsy
- suspicious
- dubious
- ludicrous
- disputable
- laughable
- dodgy
- far-fetched
- doubtful
- farcical
- risible
- outlandish
- hopeless
- dubitable
- untenable
- indefensible
- preposterous
- doubtable
- insupportable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- plausible
- believable
- imaginable
- conceivable
- possible
- credible
- convincing
- creditable
- reasonable
- probable
- thinkable
- likely
- cogitable
- indisputable
- unquestionable
- undeniable
- sure
- certain
- incontestable
- supposable
- undoubted
- indubitable
- questionless
5
as in wonderful
fantastic of the very best kind surfing conditions were simply fantastic Synonyms & Similar Words
- wonderful
- excellent
- terrific
- great
- awesome
- lovely
- superb
- fabulous
- beautiful
- marvelous
- stellar
- marvellous
- fine
- prime
- hot
- neat
- quality
- splendid
- cool
- famous
- classic
- heavenly
- fab
- sensational
- exceptional
- good
- superlative
- divine
- brave
- nifty
- superior
- immense
- choice
- fantabulous
- slick
- top
- cracking
- unsurpassed
- dynamite
- grand
- groovy
- prize
- sterling
- decent
- swell
- dandy
- keen
- noble
- par excellence
- peachy
- topping
- top-notch
- crackerjack
- banner
- capital
- better
- mean
- primo
- too much
- gangbusters
- brag
- first-rate
- frontline
- prizewinning
- radical
- special
- boffo
- corking
- bumper
- dope
- hype
- gone
- peachy keen
- topflight
- supernal
- righteous
- first-class
- gangbuster
- number one
- high-class
- boss
- wizard
- bully
- adequate
- bonny
- bang-up
- tip-top
- top-of-the-line
- top-shelf
- satisfactory
- acceptable
- down
- numero uno
- A-OK
- jim-dandy
- five-star
- phat
- out of this world
- traditional
- classical
- blue-chip
- gilt-edge
- out-of-sight
- four-star
- No. 1
- bonnie
- gilt-edged
- blue-ribbon
- premium
- tolerable
- all right
- fancy
- passable
- first-string
- A1
- standard
- select
- okay
- superfine
- OK
- high-grade
- high-test
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- terrible
- awful
- poor
- atrocious
- lousy
- pathetic
- bad
- vile
- wretched
- rotten
- execrable
- unsatisfactory
- inferior
- substandard
- mediocre
- middling
- low-grade
- second-rate
- second-class
Synonym Chooser
The words bizarre and grotesque are common synonyms of fantastic. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.
dreamed up fantastic rumors
The meanings of bizarre and fantastic largely overlap; however, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.
a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city
Although the words grotesque and fantastic have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.
grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile