legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈle-jən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
-ˌde-rē
Synonyms of legendary
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 How to pronounce legendary (audio)
-ˈde-rə-
adverb

Synonyms of legendary

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Summary Roger Federer was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, solidifying his legendary status. — Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 New Atlas looks at the legendary Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife. — David Szondy august 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026 Still, for every resourceful, imaginative low-budget success, there is a bungled movie that aspires, if not to quality, then at least to financial viability, but instead achieves legendary ineptitude. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 The legendary singer took on a saint-like aura for some fans. — Sarah Dees, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legendary

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of legendary was in 1570

Rhymes for legendary

See All Rhymes for legendary

Browse Nearby Words

legendarily
legendary
legendist
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Cite this Entry

“Legendary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legendary. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

legendary

adjective
leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
1
: of or resembling a legend
2
: well-known, famous
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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