fabulous

adjective

fab·​u·​lous ˈfa-byə-ləs 

1

a

: resembling or suggesting a fable : of an incredible, astonishing, or exaggerated nature

fabulous wealth

b

: wonderful, marvelous

had a fabulous time

a fabulous view from the summit

2

: told in or based on fable

fabulous dragons

fabulously adverb

fabulousness noun

Did you know?

The Meaning of Fabulous Before It Meant ‘Great’

Most of us use the word fabulous in an entirely positive sense, with the meaning “wonderful” or “marvelous.” This is an entirely acceptable way to use the word, but it is by no means the sense that fabulous had when it entered the English language: its original meaning was “characteristic of fables” (a fable is “an invented tale”). In that sense, "the fabulous legends of Arabia" refers to legends based upon fable rather than notably excellent legends. The semantic drift that fabulous has undergone is not at all uncommon in language, and we see comparable developments in words of similar in meaning. Fantastic previously meant “of, belonging to, or constituting fantasy”; awesome initially had the sole meaning “expressive of awe” (and many people wish that it still did); and terrific meant “terrible, terrifying” long before it meant “splendid.”

Synonyms

• fabled
• legendary
• mythical
• mythic

Choose the Right Synonym for fabulous

fictitious, fabulous, legendary, mythical, apocryphal mean having the nature of something imagined or invented.

fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Examples of fabulous in a Sentence

I had a fabulous time.

The weather has been fabulous.

He is making fabulous amounts of money.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Desert Sun’s Janet Wilson has a fabulous in-depth story. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Of course, parking for a drink at the St Regis lobby bar is an equally fabulous way to spend an hour—especially when the live piano music is happening. —Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Ralph is beyond gorgeous, has a fabulous personality, and does not mind being held or cuddled. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2024

Perhaps in response to that sense of encroaching trouble, this year’s productions tended to be outrageously fabulous or solemnly communal in feeling. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fabulous, fabulose "legendary, mythical," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French fabuleux, borrowed from Latin fābulōsus "celebrated in legend, resembling an invented story, mythical," from fābula "talk, account, fable entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fabulous

adjective

fab·​u·​lous ˈfab-yə-ləs 

1

a

: resembling a fable especially in being marvelous or beyond belief

fabulous wealth

b

: very good : marvelous

had a fabulous time

2

: told in or based on fable

fabulous animals

fabulously adverb

fabulousness noun