far-fetched

far-fetched — adjective

1. describing a story, idea, or claim that is so unlikely that most people find it

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a story, idea, or claim that is so unlikely that most people find it hard to believe or accept.

Example

The police found his story about the robbery far-fetched and asked for more evidence.

find + [object] + far-fetched

Some viewers think the movie's plot is far-fetched, but others enjoy the fantasy.

Common collocations
  • far-fetched story
  • far-fetched excuse
  • far-fetched idea
  • far-fetched theory
  • far-fetched plot
  • far-fetched claim
  • far-fetched explanation
Synonyms
  • unlikely

    broader and more neutral; far-fetched adds a stronger sense of implausibility

  • implausible

    slightly more formal; common in academic and journalistic writing

  • unbelievable

    overlaps in meaning but can also mean 'amazing' in a positive sense

  • improbable

    more objective, often used with statistical or logical reasoning

Antonyms
  • plausible

    describes an argument or story that seems reasonable and likely

  • believable

    direct opposite; easy to accept as true

  • realistic

    conveys that something matches real-life experience

Grammar Patterns

find + object + far-fetched

seem far-fetched

sound far-fetched

Usage Note

This adjective works with linking verbs (seem, sound, appear, be) and the pattern find + object + far-fetched. It is attributive (a far-fetched excuse) and predicative (the excuse is far-fetched). Do not confuse with far-reaching, which describes something with wide-ranging effects.

Common Mistakes

The new policy has far-fetched consequences for the whole industry.
The new policy has far-reaching consequences for the whole industry.
far-reaching means having a wide impact; far-fetched means unlikely to be true.
The story is very far-fetched to believe.
The story is far-fetched and hard to believe.
far-fetched is not used in the pattern 'too ~ to believe'; use a separate clause instead.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that probably is not true, but they differ in nuance and register. Unlikely is the most neutral and widely useful — it simply suggests low probability without emotional colouring (The bus is unlikely to arrive on time). Implausible is more formal and intellectual, often used when an explanation or theory fails to convince (The scientist called the hypothesis implausible). Unbelievable can mean either 'hard to accept as true' (His excuse was unbelievable) or 'extraordinary in a good way' (The view was unbelievable), so context matters. Improbable leans toward logical or statistical reasoning rather than personal judgement (It is improbable that both teams would score the same number of goals). Far-fetched adds a subjective, mildly dismissive tone — it implies the speaker finds the idea strained or exaggerated, not merely unlikely.

unlikely ↗implausibleunbelievable ↗improbable

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • quite far-fetched
  • rather far-fetched
  • a bit far-fetched
  • too far-fetched
  • so far-fetched

Etymology

English

The word far-fetched comes from the 16th-century phrase far fetched, meaning 'brought from a distant place.' The original use was literal: goods or ideas 'fetched from afar' were considered rare and exotic. By the early 1600s, the meaning shifted to its modern figurative sense — an idea or story that has been 'brought from too far away' and therefore seems strained, unnatural, or forced. The hyphenated form far-fetched became standard in the 19th century.