fabulous

/ˈfæbjələs/

/ˈfæbjuləs/

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.

Definitions of fabulous

1. adjective

   extremely pleasing
   “a fabulous vacation”

   synonyms: fab

   pleasing

   giving pleasure and satisfaction
2. adjective

   based on or told of in traditional stories; lacking factual basis or historical validity
   “the fabulous unicorn”

   synonyms: mythic, mythical, mythologic, mythological

   unreal

   lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria
3. adjective

   barely credible
   “the fabulous endurance of a marathon runner”

   synonyms:

   incredible, unbelievable

   beyond belief or understanding