‘FANTASTIC’ DOES NOT EQUAL ‘GREAT, EXCELLENT.’

I wonder how many people know the ACTUAL definition of the word “Fantastic.” Scott and I were just debating the movie, The Village, and it’s ending. He asked me why I didn’t like it and i said, “… because it should have been something fantastic, and it wasn’t,” (implying that it should have been extraordinary, out of this world, unimaginable, unfathomable.) He retorted, “It WAS fantastic though; It was AWESOME!” (implying that it was cool, good, great, ‘sweet,’ etc.) We then dove headfirst into an argument about the true meaning of the word, and I thought I’d enlighten you all.  He hates when I prove him wrong. ;) Read on for the definition, and to create another little wrinkle in your brain!

SOURCE ONE:

fan·tas·tic

–adjective1. conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque.  2. fanciful or capricious, as persons or their ideas or actions.  3. imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational: fantastic fears. 4. extravagantly fanciful; marvelous.5. Informal. extraordinarily good: a fantastic musical. (SEE THE WORD ‘INFORMAL?’ YEAH.)

Origin: 1350–1400; ME fantastik pertaining to the imaginative faculty < ML fantasticus, var. of LL phantasticus < Gk phantastikós able to present or show (to the mind), equiv. to *phantad-, base of phantázein to make visible (akin to phānós light, bright, phaínein to make appear) + -tikos -tic

Synonym: 1. Fantastic, bizarre, grotesque share a sense of deviation from what is normal or expected. Fantastic suggests a wild lack of restraint, a fancifulness so extreme as to lose touch with reality: a fantastic scheme for a series of space cities. In informal use, fantastic often means simply “exceptionally good”: a fantastic meal. Bizarre means markedly unusual or extraordinarily strange, sometimes whimsically so: bizarre costumes for Mardi Gras; bizarre behavior. Grotesque implies shocking distortion or incongruity, sometimes ludicrous, more often pitiful or tragic: a grotesque mixture of human and animal features; grotesque contrast between the forced smile and sad eyes: a gnarled tree suggesting the figure of a grotesque human being.

SOURCE TWO:

Main Entry: fan·tas·ticPronunciation: \fan-ˈtas-tik, fən-\Variant(s): also fan·tas·ti·cal -ti-kəl\Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English fantastic, fantastical, from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French fantastique, from Late Latin phantasticus, from Greek phantastikos producing mental images, from phantazein to present to the mindDate: 14th century

1 a : based on fantasy : not real b : conceived or seemingly conceived by unrestrained fancy c : so extreme as to challenge belief : unbelievable; broadly : exceedingly large or great
2 : marked by extravagant fantasy or extreme individuality : eccentric

— fan·tas·ti·cal·i·ty \(ˌ)fan-ˌtas-tə-ˈka-lə-tē, fən-\ noun

— fan·tas·ti·cal·ness -ˈtas-tə-kəl-nəs\ noun

synonyms fantastic, bizarre, grotesque mean conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality. fantastic may connote unrestrained extravagance in conception or merely ingenuity of decorative invention. bizarre applies to the sensationally queer or strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination. 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.synonyms see in addition imaginary