Fantastic vs. Fantasy — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 3, 2023
Fantastic refers to something extraordinarily good or attractive, while fantasy is an imaginative creation or scenario, often unreal.
Difference Between Fantastic and Fantasy
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fantastic is an adjective that conveys something exceptionally good or attractive, often beyond the ordinary, like a fantastic performance. Fantasy, a noun, describes an imaginative construct, a mental escape from reality.
The fantastic often elicits admiration for the real but improbable, such as a fantastic coincidence, whereas fantasy deals with the creative and the unreal, such as dragons and magic kingdoms.
When describing an event, fantastic might suggest an extraordinary quality, like a fantastic party, whereas fantasy refers to an imagined event, never actually happened.
Fantastic can also imply disbelief due to extremeness or extravagance, as in "a fantastic tale," while fantasy represents the genre of literature that deliberately suspends reality.
A fantastic idea is one that impresses with its ingenuity or practicality, yet a fantasy idea is one that excites with its departure from the mundane or practical.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective
Noun
Definition
Exceptionally good or impressive
An imaginative creation or scenario
Usage
To describe quality or feeling
To describe a genre or a mental construct
Reality Basis
Can be based on real, albeit extraordinary, events
Typically not based on real events
Common Associations
Excellence, disbelief, extremeness
Imagination, unreality, creativity
Compare with Definitions
Fantastic
Based on fantasy
She had a fantastic dream last night.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama.
Fantastic
Highly fanciful or capricious
He had some fantastic idea about flying cars.
Fantasy
Imagination unrestrained by reality
Her fantasy included unicorns and fairies.
Fantastic
Very strange or unusual
The carnival was filled with fantastic costumes.
Fantasy
A daydream or illusion
She lived in a fantasy world to escape her mundane life.
Fantastic
The fantastic (French: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characterizing the fantastic as the hesitation of characters and readers when presented with questions about reality.
Fantasy
The faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things
His researches had moved into the realms of fantasy
A fantasy world
Fantastic
Exceptionally good
The chef prepared a fantastic meal.
Fantasy
A fantasia.
Fantastic
Very large or extreme
The movie was a fantastic success.
Fantasy
Imagine the occurrence of; fantasize about
It is ludicrous to fantasy ‘disinventing’ the hydrogen bomb
Fantastic
Based on or existing only in fantasy; unreal
Fantastic mythological creatures.
The fantastic realms of science fiction.
Fantasy
The creative imagination; unrestrained fancy.
Fantastic
Strange or fanciful in form, conception, or appearance
“The fire assumed fantastic shapes as he watched” (Ward Just).
Fantasy
Something, such as an invention, that is a creation of the fancy.
Fantastic
Unrealistic; irrational
“the early jubilant years of the Restoration with their fantastic hopes of a Golden Age and incorruptible power” (Janet Todd).
Fantasy
A capricious or fantastic idea; a conceit.
Fantastic
Exceedingly great in size or degree; extravagant
A fantastic sum of money.
Fantasy
A genre of fiction or other artistic work characterized by fanciful or supernatural elements.
Fantastic
Wonderful or superb; remarkable
A fantastic trip to Europe.
Fantasy
A work of this genre.
Fantastic
An eccentric person.
Fantasy
An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need.
Fantastic
Existing in or constructed from fantasy; of or relating to fantasy; fanciful.
He told fantastic stories of dragons and goblins.
His fantastic post-college plans had all collapsed within a year of graduation.
She had a fantastic view of her own importance that none of her colleagues shared.
Fantasy
An unrealistic or improbable supposition.
Fantastic
Not believable; implausible; seemingly only possible in fantasy.
The events were so fantastic that only the tabloids were willing to print them.
She entered the lab and stood gaping for a good ten minutes at the fantastic machinery at work all around her.
Fantasy
(Music) See fantasia.
Fantastic
Resembling fantasies in irregularity, caprice, or eccentricity; irregular; grotesque.
Fantasy
A coin issued especially by a questionable authority and not intended for use as currency.
Fantastic
Wonderful; marvelous; excellent; extraordinarily good or great (used especially as an intensifier).
"I had a simply fantastic vacation, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!"
Fantasy
(Obsolete) A hallucination.
Fantastic
(archaic) A fanciful or whimsical person.
Fantasy
Relating to or being a game in which participants act as owners of imaginary sports teams whose personnel consists of actual players selected from a professional sports league and team performance is determined by the combined statistics of the players.
Fantastic
Existing only in imagination; fanciful; imaginary; not real; chimerical.
Fantasy
To imagine; visualize.
Fantastic
Having the nature of a phantom; unreal.
Fantasy
That which comes from one's imagination.
Fantastic
Indulging the vagaries of imagination; whimsical; full of absurd fancies; capricious; as, fantastic minds; a fantastic mistress.
Fantasy
(literature) The literary genre generally dealing with themes of magic and the supernatural, imaginary worlds and creatures, etc.
Fantastic
Resembling fantasies in irregularity, caprice, or eccentricity; irregular; oddly shaped; grotesque.
There at the foot of yonder nodding beech,That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high.
Fantasy
A fantastical design.
Fantastic
A person given to fantastic dress, manners, etc.; an eccentric person; a fop.
Our fantastics, who, having a fine watch, take all ocasions to draw it out to be seen.
Fantasy
(slang) The drug gamma-hydroxybutyric acid.
Fantastic
Ludicrously odd;
Hamlet's assumed antic disposition
Fantastic Halloween costumes
A grotesque reflection in the mirror
Fantasy
To fantasize (about).
Fantastic
Extraordinarily good; used especially as intensifiers;
A fantastic trip to the Orient
The film was fantastic!
A howling success
A marvelous collection of rare books
Had a rattling conversation about politics
A tremendous achievement
Fantasy
(obsolete) To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like.
Fantastic
Extravagantly fanciful and unrealistic; foolish;
A fantastic idea of his own importance
Fantasy
(transitive) To imagine; to conceive mentally.
Fantastic
Existing in fancy only;
Fantastic figures with bulbous heads the circumference of a bushel
Fantasy
Fancy; imagination; especially, a whimsical or fanciful conception; a vagary of the imagination; whim; caprice; humor.
Is not this something more than fantasy ?
A thousand fantasiesBegin to throng into my memory.
Fantastic
Exceedingly or unbelievably great;
The bomb did fantastic damage
Samson is supposed to have had fantastic strength
Phenomenal feats of memory
Fantasy
Fantastic designs.
Embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread.
Fantasy
To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like; to fancy.
Which he doth most fantasy.
Fantasy
Imagination unrestricted by reality;
A schoolgirl fantasy
Fantasy
Fiction with a large amount of fantasy in it;
She made a lot of money writing romantic fantasies
Fantasy
Something many people believe that is false;
They have the illusion that I am very wealthy
Fantasy
A genre of speculative fiction
He writes fantasy novels for teenagers.
Fantasy
An unrealistic or improbable idea
Winning the lottery is just a fantasy for most people.
Fantasy
A mental image or series of thoughts
His fantasy about traveling to Mars kept him awake.
Common Curiosities
Can something fantastic also be part of a fantasy?
Yes, something fantastic can appear in a fantasy, but it also stands alone as exceptionally good in reality.
Are fantasy stories always set in completely different worlds?
Not always, they can be set in our world but with magical or unreal elements.
Can "fantastic" be used to describe something real?
Yes, "fantastic" can describe real things that are impressive or extraordinary.
Does fantasy apply only to literature and movies?
No, fantasy can refer to any imaginative scenario, not just those in literature and movies.
Can a "fantastic" experience be negative?
It's uncommon, but the word can be used sarcastically to imply a negative experience.
Is fantasy beneficial for children?
Engaging in fantasy can be beneficial for children’s creative and cognitive development.
Is fantasy always fictional?
Yes, fantasy involves creation or scenarios that are not real or practical.
Does "fantastic" only have positive connotations?
Primarily, yes, but it can also express disbelief when related to something very unusual or extreme.
Can "fantastic" refer to future possibilities?
Yes, it can refer to future scenarios that one anticipates will be exceptionally good.
Is "fantasy" a singular or plural word?
"Fantasy" is singular; its plural form is "fantasies."
Do fantasies have to be elaborate?
No, fantasies can range from simple daydreams to complex stories.
Can "fantastic" be used to describe a person?
Yes, it can describe someone who is extremely good at something or impressive.
Do all cultures have fantasies?
Yes, fantasy is a universal concept that appears in the folklore and storytelling of all cultures.
Can a fantastic claim be true?
Yes, if evidence supports it, even a fantastic claim can be true.
Is it healthy to indulge in fantasies?
In moderation, fantasies can be a healthy form of escapism and creativity.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
