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

The experience will allow guests to come face-to-face with the legendary beholder Xanathar, which was created by the masterful puppeteers at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Bucking convention once again, Hepburn wore a pink minidress designed by Hubert de Givenchy, who was also responsible for her now legendary LBD in Breakfast at Tiffany's. —Emma Banks, InStyle, 15 Jan. 2026

Adding to the challenge, the legendary investor requested that all the money be given away within 10 years of his death. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2026

Guests will join the Harpers — a heroic spy network — to foil a plot by the legendary beholder Xanathar and save the city of Waterdeep. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 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