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
- fabulously adverb
- fabulousness noun
- unfabulous adjective
- unfabulously adverb
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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Wow! Synonyms for "Amazing"
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Lyrics from "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann
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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.
Which brings up back to that 1975 photo, with the long-haired Vachon and his ferret-sized mustache looking fabulous in front of the Forum.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
His exceptional short game held his round together and when things did click into place on the tees and fairways, he motored through the final seven holes in fabulous fashion.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
It’s been fabulous for women’s college basketball to have South Carolina give UConn a real, extended challenge at the top.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
If any of those work for you, truly — fabulous.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
The detective on his case, Marie-François Goron, a man with a truly fabulous mustache, was convinced that Vernet was an alias.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions 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.
