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

There are a lot of big names on the bill, but the one that really jumps off the page is Marco Antonio Solis, the singer-songwriter who co-founded the legendary group Los Bukis back in the mid-’70s. —Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

Atlanta native and Crime Mob artist Lil Scrappy, legendary New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia, as well as New Orleans rapper Mia X, Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt, and musicians Cookie Nasty and Trae Crockett partnered with the Hip Hop Caucus to create a political cypher. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024

In 2025, the legendary ninth Canary Island of San Borondón reappears in the Atlantic, revealing a portal to another world. —John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

A week before, legendary makeup dame Pat McGrath presented fashion’s most viral beauty look in history: Maison Margiela Couture’s porcelain dolls. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 5 Nov. 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