fabian
/ˈfeɪ.bi.ən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.17 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Pertaining to or reminiscent of Roman general Fabius Maximus, whose tactics against Hannibal during the Second Punic War famously consisted of delaying or avoiding combat, focusing instead on weakening the enemy by cutting off supply lines.
adj
Advocating that social reforms be reached through a series of gradual and moderate stages rather than sudden revolution; specifically, relating to the Fabian Society, a British socialist society advocating reformist socialism.
noun
A Fabian socialist, a gradualist socialist; a member of the Fabian Society.
name
A male given name from Latin.
name
A surname.
adj
Alternative form of Fabian.
Example Sentences
- "Hood complained behind his commander's back to Richmond of Johnston's Fabian strategy."
- "“This is how I know you've never had an adult relationship. If I say no, then I will be required to say yes to something else in the future, and the stakes in the future might be higher.” “Then say yes.” “If I give in, then I'm no longer the alpha in my house. Before you know it, she'll have me wearing jeans and reading fiction!” “Yeah, well, yes and no are kind of your only two choices.” “For most men, sure. But there is a third option. The Fabian strategy.” “I know this. If an apple and a feather fall at the same time--” “The Fabian strategy derives its name from the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus. He ran away, Lemon. Rather than engage in battle, he would retreat and retreat until the enemy grew fatigued and eventually made a mistake. Although I abhor it as a military strategy, it is the basis for all of my, uh, personal relationships.” “So Avery is your enemy. That sounds healthy.” “You're in no position to judge.”"
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Fabiānus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfeɪ.bi.ən/
- British English: /ˈfeɪ.biː.ən/