fabulous

Compared meaning: not real, existing only in stories or the mind (adjective).

比较义项：虚构的，只存在于故事或想象中，并非真实存在（形容词）。

• fabulous 本词

  Fabulous describes mythical beings or things from ancient legends and fables, like dragons or unicorns, not ordinary invented things.

  fabulous 指来自古老传说或寓言中的神话生物或事物，如龙或独角兽，而不是一般凭空编造的东西。

  Knights in medieval legends often battled fabulous monsters like dragons.

  中世纪传说中的骑士常常与龙这样的神话怪兽搏斗。

• imaginary

  Imaginary describes something that exists only in someone's mind, with no objective reality, like a child's imaginary friend.

  imaginary 指只存在于某人脑海中的事物，没有客观实体，如孩子假想出来的朋友。

  The lonely boy invented an imaginary friend to talk to every night.

  这个孤单的男孩每晚都会和自己想象出来的朋友说话。

• fanciful

  Fanciful describes ideas or stories built on imagination rather than fact or reason, often whimsical or impractical.

  fanciful 指基于想象而非事实或理性构想出的、往往带有奇幻或不切实际色彩的想法或故事。

  The old sailor told fanciful tales of flying ships and floating islands.

  老水手讲述了关于会飞的船和漂浮岛屿的幻想故事。

• fictitious

  Fictitious describes invented names, characters or places presented as if real, especially in novels or legal disclaimers.

  fictitious 指被当作真实事物提出的虚构姓名、人物或地点，常见于小说或法律免责声明中。

  The report used a fictitious company name to protect real identities.

  这份报告使用了一个虚构的公司名称以保护真实身份。

All four describe things not real. Fabulous describes mythical beings from legends; its meaning 'excellent' is not compared here. Imaginary describes something existing in the mind, like an imaginary friend. Fanciful describes ideas built on imagination, not fact. Fictitious describes invented names presented as real.

这四个词都可以表示“虚构的、并非真实存在的”，但侧重点不同，容易混淆。注意 fabulous 更常见的意思是“极好的，绝妙的”（如 a fabulous time），这里不比较该义项。

Compared meaning: not real, existing only in imagination or legend (adjective).

比较义项：虚构的、非真实存在的（形容词）。

• fantastic

  Fantastic describes something so strange or extraordinary that it seems hard to believe, often used for bizarre stories, creatures, or events rather than everyday facts.

  Fantastic形容某事物离奇古怪、超乎寻常，令人难以置信，通常用来描述怪异的故事、生物或事件，而非日常事实。

  His fantastic excuse for being late was almost too strange to believe.

  他迟到的借口离奇古怪，几乎让人难以置信。

• imaginary

  Imaginary means existing only in someone's mind, with no physical or real-world existence at all; it is neutral and does not suggest legend, exaggeration, or whimsy.

  Imaginary指某事物只存在于人的头脑之中，现实中并不存在，语气中性，不带有传说、夸张或异想天开的意味。

  Even at nine years old, she still talked to her imaginary friend.

  即使九岁了，她仍然会和自己想象出来的朋友说话。

• fabulous 本词

  Fabulous, in this sense, describes beings or things that exist only in old legends and myths, such as mythical creatures, rather than things merely imagined or exaggerated.

  Fabulous在此义项中形容只存在于古老传说和神话中的生物或事物，例如神话生物，而不是单纯凭空想象或夸大的事物。

  Dragons and unicorns are fabulous beasts that appear throughout medieval legend.

  龙和独角兽是中世纪传说中随处可见的传说生物。

• fanciful

  Fanciful describes ideas, designs, or stories built from imagination rather than fact or logic, often implying they are impractical or whimsical rather than legendary or hard to believe.

  Fanciful形容凭空想象而非基于事实或逻辑而产生的想法、设计或故事，往往暗示这些想法不切实际或异想天开，而非源自传说或令人难以置信。

  Her fanciful drawings showed castles floating on clouds and rivers made of light.

  她那些异想天开的画作描绘了漂浮在云端的城堡和由光构成的河流。

Fantastic, imaginary, fabulous, and fanciful all describe things that are not real. Fantastic means so strange it seems hard to believe. Imaginary means existing only in the mind. Fabulous means from old legends and myths, like mythical creatures. Fanciful means built from imagination, not fact.

这四个词都可以形容“不真实、出自想象”的事物，但语气和侧重不同：fantastic强调离奇古怪、令人难以置信；imaginary强调只存在于头脑之中、没有实体；fabulous强调源自古老的传说或神话；fanciful强调凭空想象、不基于事实或逻辑，语气略带轻视。这里不比较fantastic和fabulous日常口语中更常用的“极好的，精彩的”这一义项。