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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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.
At 5-3 up, Bunting started with six perfect darts to raise hopes of a nine-darter to clinch it but had to settle for finishing off a fabulous display in 12.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
No fooling, “Hokum” is a fabulous horror film for all tastes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Musk’s targets for the Terafab have been characteristically fabulous: Mass production is supposed to start next year, with an initial target of 100,000 silicon wafers a month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
History shows City are immense during this part of the campaign too and their results in April under their boss provide fabulous reading for their fans and are frightening to those of an Arsenal persuasion.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
Sophie opened her mouth, and very gently the BFG tipped the bottle forward and poured some of the fabulous frobscottle down her throat.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
