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

• mythic
• mythical

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

The legendary, beloved actress has died at 79, it was confirmed on Saturday. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025

Woody Allen has penned a heartfelt remembrance of Diane Keaton following the actor’s death at 79, sharing intimate memories of their romance and legendary creative partnership in an essay published by The Free Press. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025

The exclusive model is available exclusively as a manual and an attractive livery inspired by the legendary 2002 Turbo. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025

As previously announced, Andrew Garfield stars as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for legendary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē 

1

: of or resembling a legend

2

: well-known, famous