Revised as of
4 July 2023
I’d like to think that someone simply misspelled fantasize, but after typing fanaticize over and over, no. I had to really concentrate on hitting each key to be sure I spelled it correctly, so I know this must have been on purpose. One about which I have no clue.
Wait. Okay. Maybe a fantasy can be fanaticizing. I do tend to see fanatacize as a negative, but there really isn’t a reason that fantasies have to be positive. I suppose one could get excited about becoming a suicide bomber. Urkhh.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Fanaticize | Fantasize |
|---|---|
Cartoon by Barry Hunau is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 or CC BY-SA 3.0 licenses, via Wikimedia Commons. — Yep, that’s what I’d see as fanaticized. |
Think Different is a derivative of Wassily Kandinsky’s Fugue and uses a statue from the family grave of Otto Schurig. By Neotex555 under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Looks like she’s fantasizing to me. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Verb, intransitive & transitive
Third person present verb: fanaticizes |
Verb, intransitive & transitive
Third person present verb: fantasizes fantasise, fantasising [British] Variant spelling: [Archaic; Psychology and psychiatry] Phantasize |
| Verb, intransitive: To act with or show fanaticism Verb, transitive: |
Verb, intransitive: Indulge in daydreaming about something desired Create or develop imaginative and often fantastic views or ideas Verb, transitive: Portray in the mind |
| Examples: | |
| Verb, intransitive: Many idiots fanaticized themselves into blowing themselves up, believing they’re serving a higher purpose. “Hence it can be concluded that they are almost always kept in darkness of their true rights and liberty, left just to fanaticize about their empowerment and independence” (Ferdoos). “As their relationship evolves, Lilith fanaticizes about achieving white domesticity: ‘Lilith think ’bout what she not to think'” (Ozuna). Verb, transitive: When I meet him I fanaticize our meeting. A culture which so fanaticizes its people is highly dangerous. |
Verb, intransitive: He sometimes fantasized about emigrating. Throughout my childhood, I fantasized about flying, reducing myself in size, being invisible. All the normal fantasies, lol. “However, men and women do not fantasize with the same frequency” (De Psicología). Verb, transitive: I fantasize about chocolate and whipped cream. As a child, she fantasized about becoming a famous actress. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective, attributive: fanatic, fanatics Noun: fanatic, fanatics, fanaticizing |
Noun: fantasist, fantasizer, fantasizing |
| History of the Word: | |
| The first known use was in 1705. | The first known use was in 1926. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Fanaticize versus Fantasize
Apple Dictionary.com
De Psicología, Anales. “A Study Shows That Men and Women Have the Same Sexual Fantasies.” Asian News International. 18 July 2012. Web. 17 Nov 2022. <https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/650321>. News release.
Ferdoos, Amber and Sadaf Zahra. “Patriarchy and Decision Making Power of Women.” Journal of Gender and Social Issues. Gale Academic OneFile. 31 Dec 2016. Web. 17 Nov 2022. <http://bit.ly/3Oh5EeQ>. Report.
The Free Dictionary: fanaticize, fantasize
Merriam-Webster: fanaticize, fantasize
Ozuna, Anna. “Feminine Power: Women Contesting Plantocracy in The Book of Night Women.” Journal of Pan African Studies 1 May 2017 Web. 17 Nov 2022. <https://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol10no3/10.3-10-Ozuna.pdf>. Essay.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Kamikaze Attack is J Lanzer‘s own work under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
