legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈle-jən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
-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 adverb
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

Example Sentences

legendary creatures from the sea He is the most legendary football player of his time.
Recent Examples on the Web Trending Videos Travelers visiting the Aloha State are spoiled for choice between the Jurassic lushness of Kauai, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the legendary swells on the North Shore of Oahu. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2023 This is reminiscent of the legendary Life cereal commercials in the 1970s and 1980s. Chad Pergram, Fox News, 30 May 2023 Stolz took over after legendary coach Duffy Daugherty retired in 1972 and led the program for three seasons. Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press, 26 May 2023 Final game for legendary coach Larry Price Thursday marked the final game for longtime Lebanon head baseball coach Larry Price, who announced last June that 2023 would be his final season. Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 26 May 2023 The son of legendary golf coach Butch Harmon also worked with 2012 British Open champion Ernie Els, as well as U.S. Open and Masters champ Dustin Johnson. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023 By the time the samurai film genre, along with Japanese cinema itself, announced its presence on the global stage at the dawn of the 1950s with Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, thousands of tales featuring the legendary warriors had already been filmed. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2023 Whether opening for legendary punk acts or playing afternoon sets at multi-genre festivals, Plague Vendor makes a fan out of virtually anyone who happens upon their infectious live show. Josh Chesler, SPIN, 15 May 2023 He was hired in August, replacing the legendary Pat Cronin, who retired after 41 seasons, an induction into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, and 503 career wins at East Bridgewater and Whitman-Hanson. Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legendary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of legendary was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near legendary

Cite this Entry

“Legendary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legendary. Accessed 6 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

legendary

adjective
leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
1
: of or resembling a legend
2

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