Fancy - English meaning

noun

Creative skill or ability.

Usage examples:

The artistry of the pianist

noun

Great skill in creating or performing something, such as in writing, music, sport, etc.

Usage examples:

You have to admire the artistry of her novels.

phrase

To think that something is true, especially when it is not

Usage examples:

I was under the impression (that) you didn't get on too well., he was under the mistaken (= false) …

verb

Accept that (something) is true, especially without proof.

Usage examples:

The superintendent believed lancaster's story

verb

To think that something is true or correct

Usage examples:

[ t ] one juror said he didn’t believe the policeman’s testimony., [ + (that) clause ] she believed…

verb

To think that something is true, correct, or real

Usage examples:

Strangely, no one believed us when we told them we'd been visited by a creature from mars., [ + tha…

adjective

Sharply curved or having an angle.

Usage examples:

A piece of bent wire

noun

Past and past participle of bend1.

noun

A stiff grass which is used for lawns and is a component of pasture and hay grasses.

Usage examples:

The grasses used may be native to the area or specially introduced species such as rye grass, fescu…

noun

A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behaviour.

Usage examples:

The caprices of the electorate

noun

(the quality of often having) a sudden and usually silly wish to have or do something, or a sudden and silly change of mind or behaviour

Usage examples:

The $300 million palace was built to satisfy the caprice of one man.

noun

The quality of being clever; intelligence or shrewdness.

Usage examples:

People marvelled at his cleverness

noun

Ability to understand and learn quickly and easily

Usage examples:

Everyone was impressed by the cleverness of the machine.

noun

Intelligent design

Usage examples:

Cleverness of everyone was impressed by the cleverness of the machine.

noun

The action of conceiving a child or of one being conceived.

Usage examples:

An unfertilized egg before conception

noun

An idea or a particular way you understand or think about something, or a basic understanding of a situation or principle

Usage examples:

[ u ] most children have no conception of time.

noun

An idea of what something or someone is like, or a basic understanding of a situation or a principle

Usage examples:

People from different cultures have different conceptions of the world., she has a conception of pe…

noun

An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.

Usage examples:

Conjectures about the newcomer were many and varied

verb

Form an opinion or supposition about (something) on the basis of incomplete information.

Usage examples:

Many conjectured that the jury could not agree

noun

An opinion or judgment that is not based on proof; a guess

Usage examples:

[ u ] what lay behind the decision is open to conjecture., [ + that clause ] some employees conject…

verb

Yearn to possess (something, especially something belonging to another).

Usage examples:

I covet one of their smart bags

noun

Wish, long, or crave for

verb

To want to have something very much, especially something that belongs to someone else

Usage examples:

She always coveted power but never quite achieved it., the booker prize is the most coveted british…

verb

Feel a powerful desire for (something).

Usage examples:

If only she had shown her daughter the love she craved

verb

To desire something strongly

Usage examples:

The neglected kids just crave attention.

verb

To have a very strong feeling of wanting something

Usage examples:

Crave attention many young children crave attention.

noun

The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.

Usage examples:

Firms are keen to encourage creativity

noun

The ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative

noun

The ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas

Usage examples:

Too many rules might deaden creativity., creativity, ingenuity, and flair are the songwriter's real…

noun

A strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.

Usage examples:

He resisted public desires for choice in education

verb

Strongly wish for or want (something).

Usage examples:

He never achieved the status he so desired

noun

A strong feeling of wanting something, or something you want

Usage examples:

[ u ] he claims to have no desire for wealth., [ c ] she expressed a desire to speak with her attor…

noun

The quality of being eccentric.

Usage examples:

The eccentricity of his views

noun

The state of being eccentric

Usage examples:

His eccentricity now extends to never washing or changing his clothes., her eccentricities get stra…

noun

An eccentric action

Usage examples:

Her eccentricities get stranger by the day.

noun

Affection or liking for someone or something.

Usage examples:

I remember him with great fondness

noun

A great liking for someone or something

Usage examples:

Ruth has a real fondness for old houses.

noun

A liking

Usage examples:

Fondness for george's fondness for fishing was well known.

verb

Come together; assemble or accumulate.

Usage examples:

As soon as a crowd gathered, the police came

noun

A part of a garment that is gathered.

Usage examples:

This can be accomplished at side seams, the center back seam, gathers, pleats, darts or a combinati…

verb

Assemble or get together

verb

Estimate or conclude (something) without sufficient information to be sure of being correct.

Usage examples:

She guessed the child's age at 14 or 15

noun

An estimate or conclusion formed by guessing.

Usage examples:

My guess is that within a year we will have a referendum

verb

To give an answer to a question when you do not have all the facts and so cannot be certain if you are right

Usage examples:

[ i ] i didn’t know the answer, so i had to guess., [ + (that) clause ] he guessed (that) she was a…

phrasal verb

To have a strong wish for something, especially if you cannot or should not have it

Usage examples:

What did you hanker after most when you were in prison?, even after all these years, i still hanker…

noun

A representation of the external form of a person or thing in art.

Usage examples:

Her work juxtaposed images from serious and popular art

verb

Make a representation of the external form of.

Usage examples:

Artworks which imaged women's bodies

noun

An idea, esp. a mental picture, of what something or someone is like

Usage examples:

I had an image of texas in my head that was totally different from how it really is., he’s trying t…

noun

The faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.

Usage examples:

She'd never been blessed with a vivid imagination

noun

The ability to form mental pictures of people or things, or to have new ideas

Usage examples:

Rafael has a very active imagination (= has many ideas).

noun

The ability to form pictures in the mind

Usage examples:

Vivid imagination my younger son has a very vivid (= active) imagination., i can never make up stor…

verb

Form a mental image or concept of.

Usage examples:

She imagined him at his desk, his head in his hands

verb

To form or have a mental picture or idea of something or someone

Usage examples:

Imagine tom as a child – that’s what john looks like., [ + that clause ] i imagine (= expect) (that…

verb

To form or have a mental picture or idea of something

Usage examples:

Imagine robert redford when he was young - that's what john looks like., [ + (that) ] imagine (that…

noun

A sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.

Usage examples:

I had an almost irresistible impulse to giggle

An impelling force or strength

noun

A sudden, strong desire to do something

Usage examples:

[ + to infinitive ] i had this impulse to dye my hair red., [ u ] i bought this expensive sweater o…

noun

A person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way; a disposition.

Usage examples:

John was a scientist by training and inclination

noun

A preference or tendency, or a feeling that makes a person want to do something

Usage examples:

Tony has a strong inclination toward the arts., if i were in your situation, my inclination would b…

noun

A feeling that you want to do a particular thing, or the fact that you prefer or are more likely to do a particular thing

Usage examples:

[ + to infinitive ] my own inclination would be to look for another job., we should be basing our d…

noun

The quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

Usage examples:

Considerable ingenuity must be employed in writing software

noun

The skill of thinking, performing, or using things in new ways, esp. to solve problems

Usage examples:

With a little ingenuity, meals can be tasty as well as inexpensive.

noun

Someone's ability to think of clever new ways of doing something

Usage examples:

I was impressed by the ingenuity and energy of the contestants., it took some time and a little ing…

noun

The action of inventing something, typically a process or device.

Usage examples:

The invention of printing in the 15th century

noun

Something newly designed or created, or the activity of designing or creating new things

Usage examples:

[ c ] the mountain bike was a california invention., [ u ] the invention of the pressure cooker pro…

noun

A product or a way of doing something which has never been made or never existed before

Usage examples:

Turning an invention from an idea into a money-making product is a long job., a new inventions, the…

noun

The quality of being inventive; creativity.

Usage examples:

The inventiveness of the staging

noun

The quality of showing or having new and original ideas

Usage examples:

Her performance was full of wit and inventiveness., in his best stories his sheer inventiveness is …

noun

A sharp twist or curve in something that is otherwise straight.

Usage examples:

A kink in the road

verb

Form or cause to form a sharp twist or curve.

Usage examples:

The river kinks violently in a right angle

noun

A sharp twist or bend in something such as a wire or rope

Usage examples:

There was a kink in the hose and the water wouldn’t come through., the system will work fine once w…

noun

A feeling of regard or fondness.

Usage examples:

She'd taken an instant liking to arnie's new girlfriend

verb

Find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory.

Usage examples:

All his classmates liked him

exclamation

Used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event.

Usage examples:

And lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them

noun

A person's young son or daughter (particularly used in online forums).

Usage examples:

My lo doesn't nap during the day

noun

A conception of or belief about something.

Usage examples:

Children have different notions about the roles of their parents

noun

A belief or idea

Usage examples:

Nast helped form the american notion of santa claus.

noun

The ability to think independently and creatively.

Usage examples:

She's a writer of great originality

noun

The quality of being special and interesting and not the same as anything or anyone else

Usage examples:

We were impressed by the originality of the children's work.

noun

Unfair bias in favour of one person or thing; favouritism.

Usage examples:

An attack on the partiality of judges

noun

An unfair preference for one person or group over another

Usage examples:

Some parents complained about the partiality of the teacher toward certain students.

noun

A strange or unusual feature or habit.

Usage examples:

For all his peculiarities, she finds him quite endearing

noun

A preference or special liking for something; a bias in favour of something.

Usage examples:

My predilection for asian food

noun

A strong liking or preference

Usage examples:

A predilection for spicy foods

noun

A liability or tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold a particular attitude, or act in a particular way.

Usage examples:

A child may inherit a predisposition to schizophrenia

noun

The state of being likely to behave in a particular way or to suffer from a particular disease

Usage examples:

She has an annoying predisposition to find fault., there is evidence that a predisposition to(wards…

noun

A greater liking for one alternative over another or others.

Usage examples:

Her preference for white wine

noun

A preference is also an advantage given to someone

Usage examples:

[ u ] the city gives preference to job applicants who live there.

noun

The fact of liking or wanting one thing more than another

Usage examples:

Preference for sth these investors had a preference for securities rather than bank deposits., more…

noun

A peculiar aspect of a person's character or behaviour.

Usage examples:

They accepted her attitude as one of her little quirks

verb

(with reference to a person's mouth or eyebrow) move or twist suddenly, especially to express surprise or amusement.

Usage examples:

His lips quirked disbelievingly

noun

An unusual habit or type of behavior, or something that is strange and unexpected

Usage examples:

A personality quirk, it’s just one of the quirks of living there., a quirky, offbeat sense of humor

verb

Establish by calculation.

Usage examples:

His debts were reckoned at £300,000

verb

To calculate an amount based on facts or on your expectations

Usage examples:

Do you reckon this watch has a little value?, [ + that clause ] brusca reckons that the value of al…

verb

To calculate an amount

Usage examples:

Fees are reckoned in euros but can be paid in any currency., the authors reckon that public sector …

noun

Great enjoyment.

Usage examples:

She swigged a mouthful of wine with relish

verb

Enjoy greatly.

Usage examples:

He was relishing his moment of glory

verb

To like or enjoy something

Usage examples:

I enjoyed our vacation, but didn’t relish the twenty-hour trip back home., [ u ] we have relish for…

verb

Think or assume that something is true or probable but lack proof or certain knowledge.

Usage examples:

I suppose i got there about noon

verb

To expect or believe

Usage examples:

[ i ] "will you be going with them?" "yes, i suppose (so).", [ + (that) clause ] "you don’t suppose…

verb

To think that something is likely to be true

Usage examples:

[ + (that) ] dan didn't answer his phone, so i suppose (that) he's busy., he found it a lot more di…

verb

Suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it.

Usage examples:

He surmised that something must be wrong

noun

A supposition that something may be true, even though there is no evidence to confirm it.

Usage examples:

Charles was glad to have his surmise confirmed

verb

To decide that something is true without having complete information or proof

Usage examples:

[ + (that) clause ] i quickly surmised (that) my dinner companion was something of a bore.

verb

Have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.

Usage examples:

If you suspect a gas leak, do not turn on an electric light

noun

A person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence.

Usage examples:

The police have arrested a suspect

adjective

Not to be relied on or trusted; possibly dangerous or false.

Usage examples:

A suspect package was found on the platform

noun

The sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.

Usage examples:

The wine had a fruity taste

verb

Perceive or experience the flavour of.

Usage examples:

She had never tasted ice cream before

verb

The faculty of distinguishing sweet, sour, bitter, and salty properties in the mouth

verb

Have a particular opinion, belief, or idea about someone or something.

Usage examples:

She thought that nothing would be the same again

noun

An act of thinking.

Usage examples:

I went for a walk to have a think

Judge or regard; look upon; judge

verb

Try earnestly or persistently to persuade (someone) to do something.

Usage examples:

He urged her to come and stay with us

noun

A strong desire or impulse.

Usage examples:

He felt the urge to giggle

verb

To encourage someone strongly to do something or to ask that something be done

Usage examples:

Party leaders urged her to run for congress., a human/natural urge, sometimes i get an urge to go s…

verb

Have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for.

Usage examples:

I want an apple

noun

A lack or deficiency of something.

Usage examples:

Victorian houses which are in want of repair

The state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

noun

A sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained.

Usage examples:

She bought it on a whim

noun

Playfully quaint or fanciful behaviour or humour.

Usage examples:

The film is an awkward blend of whimsy and moralizing

noun

Something playful and amusing

Usage examples:

[ u ] the second book is as full of happy whimsy as the first.

verb

Feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that cannot or probably will not happen.

Usage examples:

We wished for peace

noun

A desire or hope for something to happen.

Usage examples:

The union has reiterated its wish for an agreement

noun

The capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence.

Usage examples:

She does not lack perception or native wit

verb

Have knowledge.

Usage examples:

I addressed a few words to the lady you wot of