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

• fabled
• fabulous
• mythical
• mythic

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 Chelsea Hotel The legendary Manhattan hotel was notorious for years as an enclave for artists of all types, including Mark Twain, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Arthur Miller, Bob Dylan, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sid Vicious, and Thomas and Smith. —EW.com, 19 Apr. 2024

Brent Miller, the producer who helped Norman Lear achieve even more success in the legendary icon’s final years, is launching his own shingle. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024

But this trial is unfolding within the insular walls of the Magic Castle — the legendary private club for magicians set inside a foreboding Victorian mansion, formerly a private residence, perched upon a Hollywood hilltop and established in 1963. —Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of his debut album, the legendary Nas also unveils a new box set for 1994’s Illmatic. —Okla Jones, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024

On The Tortured Poets Department's title track, the Grammy winner, 34, cheekily ribs her paramour about his penchant for old-fashioned typewriters and for likening himself to legendary poets. —Melody Chiu, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

One such rocker is Carmine Appice, the legendary drummer for Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne, among others. —Sal Cataldi, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024

After a sleepless night following an embarrassing loss to the Kings in Game 6 on the Warriors home court, in a legendary pep-talk, Curry told teammates that getting on the bus was symbolic. —Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024

The hip-hop community is reacting to the death of legendary producer Rico Wade. —USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē 

1

: of or resembling a legend

2

: well-known, famous