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

In the Observation Lounge, spot wildlife from one of the two Swarovski Optik telescopes, or indulge in dishes at the restaurant by legendary chef Alain Ducasse. —Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025

Better Now, Nat Geo is shining a spotlight on how legendary athletes manage their health and fitness after age 60. —Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

Whether the Yankees are willing to make that type of commitment to a player who will be 37 years old by the time the contract extension concludes will be perhaps the most critical question for the legendary franchise in the coming offseason. —Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

This one was about seizing one of the sweetest victories of his legendary career … whether the old quarterback wanted to admit it or not. —Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 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