fabulous
Americanadjective
-
Informal. exceptionally good or unusual; wonderful; superb.
a fabulous bargain;
a fabulous new house.
-
almost impossible to believe; incredible.
Her fabulous story about surviving alone on a desert island for three months was riveting—and it was all true!
-
told about in fables; purely imaginary or known about only through myths or legends.
the fabulous exploits of Hercules.
- Synonyms:
- fictional, fictitious, fabled
adjective
-
almost unbelievable; astounding; legendary
fabulous wealth
-
informal extremely good
a fabulous time at the party
-
of, relating to, or based upon fable
a fabulous beast
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fabulous
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin fābulōsus, equivalent to fābul(a) “a story, tale” + -ōsus adjective suffix; see fable, -ous
Explanation
If something is so great you can hardly believe it, it is fabulous. You can have a fabulous first date or you can make a fabulous dinner. These days, fabulous things are mainly wonderful things, but there's another meaning related to fable: some fabulous things can't — or at least shouldn't — be believed. If you friend claims to be a personal friend of the entire Chicago Bulls, but has never been to Chicago, that's a fabulous story that's probably not true. Also, any story involving a unicorn or wizard is fabulous in a literal sense. A great fantasy story would be fabulous in every way.
Vocabulary lists containing fabulous
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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Lyrics from "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann
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Wow! Synonyms for "Amazing"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, the continent boasts many fabulous fossil finds, including those of the most familiar extinct animals – dinosaurs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Baseball has provided me with a fabulous opportunity to see the world and work in an industry that most people envy,” he wrote in the book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
He argued bonds act as a financial lubricant, and that in truth, it was a fabulous debt.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
"I'm not saying everyone has a poor pension, not everyone is on the basic pension, but some are and they still manage to come and volunteer, which is absolutely fabulous," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
I could lose myself playing with my dolls any day of the week, imagining a fabulous life for them with their cool clothes and ever-changing hairdos.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
