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

April 24-26 — 2025 NFL draft, which will be held at and around legendary Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. —Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2025

At the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Paquita la del Barrio was honored with the Trajectory Award, which reflected the impact and importance of her legendary career. —Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2025

The 50th anniversary of SNL also brings about one of rock’s most legendary what-ifs: the time McCartney and John Lennon nearly reunited on the show. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 17 Feb. 2025

That segment was introduced by 87-year-old legendary actor Jack Nicholson, marking his first major public appearances in some time. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 17 Feb. 2025

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