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

Since taking over the legendary concept store in 2020 from founder Carla Sozzani, Fausti has continued to integrate new names into its product offering, in addition to renovating and revamping the space and staging a rich schedule of events and exhibitions. —Sandra Salibian, WWD, 24 Jan. 2025

No Catskills guide would be complete without the legendary Mohonk Mountain House resort, which has been welcoming guests to its mountaintop perch since the 1870s. —Rachel Fletcher, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2025

The Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36 in overtime in the Divisional Round a couple of years ago in one of the most legendary playoff games in recent memory. —Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 23 Jan. 2025

The hire is sure to send shockwaves through the NFL world, and the news has already been touched on by one of the most legendary Jets players. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 23 Jan. 2025

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