| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| fabulous, fabled (adjs.) |
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| Fabled still means “as described in stories or fables” and also “fictitious and maybe not true.” But the most frequent meaning is “celebrated, renowned,” as in Helen’s fabled beauty caused the Trojan War. Fabulous is synonymous with fabled in the sense of “storied,” but hyperbole has caused it to be weakened through overuse, until today it frequently means nothing more than “remarkable or wonderful,” as in She had a fabulous new outfit for the party. This use is Conversational and Informal and occurs in Edited English only in gushy quotations. When you want to stress the “legendary” sense today, stick with fabled. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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