Associations to the word «Fabian»

Wiktionary

FABIAN, adjective. 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.
FABIAN, adjective. 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.
FABIAN, adjective. (by extension) cautious; dilatory; avoiding a decisive contest.
FABIAN, noun. A Fabian socialist, a gradualist socialist; a member of the Fabian Society.
FABIAN, proper noun. A male given name borne by an early pope. Rare in English.

Dictionary definition

FABIAN, noun. A member of the Fabian Society in Britain.
FABIAN, adjective. Of or relating to Fabianism; "the Fabian society".
FABIAN, adjective. Using cautious slow strategy to wear down opposition; avoiding direct confrontation; "a fabian policy".

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.