a member of the Fabian Society in Britain
"The editor dismissed his proposal as merely another fabian attempt to achieve socialism through gradual legal reforms rather than revolutionary action."
A Fabian socialist, a gradualist socialist; a member of the Fabian Society.
"The debate revealed that our opponent is not an extremist but rather a fabian who believes in achieving social change through slow, incremental reforms."
using cautious slow strategy to wear down opposition; avoiding direct confrontation
"a fabian policy"
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.
"The genealogist noted that "Fabian" appears in old records as an alternative spelling for the name Fabian."
Alternative form of Fabian
A male given name from Latin borne by an early pope. Rare in English.
"My cousin Fabian, named after that obscure fourth-century pope, recently got married and sent me a photo of his new wedding ring."
The word comes from the Latin Fabiānus, meaning "belonging to Fabius." It is derived from the name Fabius combined with the suffix -ānus.