legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈle-jən-ˌder-ē 

-ˌde-rē

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of legend or a legend

legendary creatures of the sea

2

: well-known, famous

a legendary football player

legendarily

ˌle-jən-ˈder-ə-lē 

-ˈde-rə-

adverb

Synonyms

• fabled
• fabulous
• mythical
• mythic

Choose the Right Synonym for legendary

fictitious, fabulous, legendary, mythical, apocryphal mean having the nature of something imagined or invented.

fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Examples of legendary in a Sentence

legendary creatures from the sea

He is the most legendary football player of his time.

Recent Examples on the Web

From news to noise In a stunning move, WCBS-AM—New York’s legendary all-news radio station—abandoned objective journalism for a sports format in late August. —Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2024

Only one person, the legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, has ever achieved this sweep and that was long before the modern era of cycling. —George Ramsay, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024

During the week of September 15th to 21st, hotel guests can reserve The Carousel Bar Experience, a one-hour private session on the bar’s history of legendary patrons and cocktails. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2024

And there were heels with lion paws and boxing gloves at the toes, an homage to the legendary Miguel Adrover. —Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē 

1

: of or resembling a legend

2

: well-known, famous