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 of legendary

• mythical
• famed
• fabled

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

This must-see sports drama stars Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, a legendary racer-for-hire who joins a struggling FORMULA 1 team on the verge of collapse for one last shot at glory. —Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025

Established 16 years ago by the Lloyd Family and The Advanced Imaging Society, The Harold Lloyd Award honors filmmakers whose work embodies the pioneering spirit and technical artistry of Lloyd, the legendary silent film icon whose daring storytelling helped shape modern cinema. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2025

Each of these nabes has great options for an excellent meal, like Daikokuya in Little Tokyo or the legendary Yang Chow in Chinatown, so make sure to bring your appetite. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2025

How does John and Taupin’s tepid Grammy showing compare with other legendary songwriting teams? —Paul Grein, Billboard, 1 Dec. 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