/ˈfæbjələs/

fabu·lous

BrE /ˈfæbjələs/

NAmE /ˈfæbjələs/

(informal)

extremely good

a fabulous performance

Jana is a fabulous cook.

greatcool ◇ fantastic ◇ fabulous ◇ terrific ◇ brilliant ◇ awesome ◇ epic

These are all informal words that describe sb/sth that is very good, pleasant, enjoyable, etc.

great (informal) very good; giving a lot of pleasure:

We had a great time in Madrid.

cool (informal) used to show that you admire or approve of sth, often because it is fashionable, attractive or different:

I think their new song’s really cool.

fantastic (informal) extremely good; giving a lot of pleasure:

‘How was your holiday?’ ‘Fantastic!’

fabulous (informal) extremely good:

Jane’s a fabulous cook.

Fabulous is slightly more old-fashioned than the other words in this set.

terrific (informal) extremely good; wonderful:

She’s doing a terrific job.

brilliant (BrE, informal) extremely good; wonderful:

‘How was the show?’ ‘Brilliant!’

awesome (informal, especially NAmE) very good, impressive, or enjoyable:

The show was just awesome.

epic (informal) very good, impressive or enjoyable:

The adventure and action are truly epic in scope.

Patterns

to have a(n) great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome time

to look/sound great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome

really great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome

absolutely great/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome/epic

(formal)

very great

fabulous wealth/riches/beauty

[only before noun] (literary)

appearing in fables

fabulous beasts