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

Neither did North Carolina in February 1973, when Miami (Ohio) was the first non-conference team to defeat the Tar Heels at Carmichael Auditorium since Dean Smith became their legendary coach a dozen years earlier. —Terence Moore, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

The first is the EX60, which is based on the XC60, the compact SUV that passed the legendary 240 to become the automaker’s best-selling model of all time last year. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2026

The neighborhood/area California’s Big Sur is legendary, and beloved, for a reason—the 70-mile stretch of coastline is easily one of the most beautiful in the world. —Lauren Sloss, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026

The Cartier diamond engagement ring that Grace Kelly was presented with by Prince Rainier III of Monaco is legendary. —Rachel Garrahan, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026

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