Main Difference
The main difference between Fantastic and Fantasy is that the Fantastic is a literary genre characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces and Fantasy is a genre of literature, film, television and other artforms
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
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 literature and drama. From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga and video games.
Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes respectively, though these genres overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings of a medieval nature. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works.
Fantastic (adjective)
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.”
Fantastic (adjective)
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.”
Fantastic (adjective)
Resembling fantasies in irregularity, caprice, or eccentricity; irregular; grotesque.
Fantastic (adjective)
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!””
Fantastic (noun)
A fanciful or whimsical person.
Fantasy (noun)
That which comes from one’s imagination.
Fantasy (noun)
The literary genre generally dealing with themes of magic and the supernatural, imaginary worlds and creatures, etc.
Fantasy (noun)
A fantastical design.
Fantasy (noun)
The drug gamma-hydroxybutyric acid.
Fantasy (verb)
To fantasize (about).
Fantasy (verb)
To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like.
Fantasy (verb)
To imagine; to conceive mentally.
Fantasy (noun)
the faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things
“his researches had moved into the realms of fantasy”
“a fantasy world”
Fantasy (noun)
a fanciful mental image, typically one on which a person often dwells and which reflects their conscious or unconscious wishes
“the notion of being independent is a child’s ultimate fantasy”
Fantasy (noun)
an idea with no basis in reality
“it is a misleading fantasy to suggest that the bill can be implemented”
Fantasy (noun)
a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world.
Fantasy (noun)
denoting a competition or league in which participants select imaginary teams from among the players in a real sports league and score points according to the actual performance of their players
“look at their dedication to fantasy leagues and the enormous minutiae of the stats they memorize”
“he’s my second-round draft choice in fantasy baseball this year”
Fantasy (noun)
a fantasia.
Fantasy (verb)
imagine the occurrence of; fantasize about
“it is ludicrous to fantasy ‘disinventing’ the hydrogen bomb”