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

• mythic
• mythical

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 criticism of short-term thinking echoes arguments made by others in the past, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and legendary investor Warren Buffett. —Matt Egan, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025

The people who know Apatow best will tell you that his willingness to burn bridges is legendary in comic circles. —Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025

He is most famously known for his legendary feud with comedian Andy Kaufman in the 1980s, a storyline that brought wrestling to a mainstream national audience. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

The former army barracks was transformed into several village sets as well as the exterior of Kaer Morhen, the legendary location where Geralt became a Witcher. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 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