Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who has a special enthusiasm for or interest in something.
  • noun One who breeds a plant or an animal for those features held to be desirable.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who fancies or has a special taste or aptitude: used of one who deals in objects of fanciful taste: as, a bird-fancier; a tulip-fancier.
  • noun One who is under the influence of his fancy: as, “not reasoners, but fanciers,” Macaulay.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who is governed by fancy.
  • noun One who fancies or has a special liking for, or interest in, a particular object or class or objects; hence, one who breeds and keeps for sale birds and animals

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective comparative form of fancy: more fancy
  • noun One who fancies a person with a special interest, attraction or liking for something. An aficionado.
  • noun A person who breeds or grows a particular animal or plant for points of excellence.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person having a strong liking for something

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • It allows Wood to make the same kind of criticism that has always been made of Updike, but to dress it up in fancier crittalk ( "free indirect style"): Updike is too besotted with language.

    Updike, John 2010

  • The tadpole fancier is expert at the art of low politics.

    Racist Slur At Boris Newmania 2007

  • And coupled with Chabon's obvious joy with the English language, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a word fancier's delight.

    The Yiddish Policemen's Union Fred Perry 2008

  • And coupled with Chabon's obvious joy with the English language, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a word fancier's delight.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Fred Perry 2008

  • She doesn't necessarily think it's a problem that these events are getting "fancier" - which is a weird way to put it - and she's not sure if the law needs to be changed; really, it comes down to who is doing the invitation, and why.

    Macleans.ca 2009

  • And if you want to dine with them, albeit in fancier digs, they’ll also be speaking at a fund-raising dinner to benefit Arts & Lectures at the Palace Ballroom Monday night.

    Michael Pollan Interview 2010

  • And if you want to dine with them, albeit in fancier digs, they’ll also be speaking at a fund-raising dinner to benefit Arts & Lectures at the Palace Ballroom Monday night.

    Jane and Michael Stern Coming to Town 2010

  • And if you want to dine with them, albeit in fancier digs, they’ll also be speaking at a fund-raising dinner to benefit Arts & Lectures at the Palace Ballroom Monday night.

    Seattle Food & Wine Ticket Giveaway 2010

  • Looking at last year’s pictures, I see that most guys were wearing button-down shirts and slacks, with a few (like Chad) in fancier duds.

    Waldo Jaquith - Blog Summit attendees. 2006

  • Another large class of birds that make fine pets although they are not strictly in the class of birds bred by the fancier are the ornamental land and water fowl.

    Outdoor Sports and Games Claude H. Miller

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