legendary

adjective

leg·​end·​ary ˈle-jən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
-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 adverb
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 legendary musician, who turns 82 in June, hasn’t toured since 2022. Spin Staff, SPIN, 26 Mar. 2024 The German luxury automaker has just unveiled the 2025 versions of its legendary SUV. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024 The speakeasy-like space was created in partnership with the Magic Castle, a legendary private club in Los Angeles. Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024 What was that legendary reading session like in person? Stephen Daw, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2024 Her partner of 14 years, legendary British casting director Mary Selway, a frequent collaborator, died of cancer in 2004 at age 68. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024 Leo the Legend retires Before Saturday’s contest the Comets honored the career of legendary player Leo Gibson, who is recognized as the greatest in franchise history. Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024 Two years after several legendary musicians broke with Spotify in protest over controversial remarks made on podcaster Joe Rogan’s show, most have now returned to the music service — with Joni Mitchell as the latest example. Chris Welch, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024 Ryan Olson & Isaac Gale (USA), 2024 Hidden away, deep in the suburbs of Los Angeles, legendary cult musician, songwriter and producer Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, have transformed their home into an artistic playground. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legendary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of legendary was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near legendary

Cite this Entry

“Legendary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legendary. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

legendary

adjective
leg·​end·​ary ˈlej-ən-ˌder-ē How to pronounce legendary (audio)
1
: of or resembling a legend
2

More from Merriam-Webster on legendary

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