apocryphal
of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
Ecclesiastical.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Apocrypha.
of doubtful sanction; uncanonical.
false; spurious: He told an apocryphal story about the sword, but the truth was later revealed.
Origin of apocryphal
1Other words from apocryphal
- a·poc·ry·phal·ly, adverb
- a·poc·ry·phal·ness, noun
Words Nearby apocryphal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use apocryphal in a sentence
The details of that night in Baltimore nearly 25 years ago and the apocryphal tale it spawned are the subject of a narrative podcast set to be released Monday and hosted by die-hard Orioles fans Sam Dingman and Mac Montandon.
New podcast revisits rumor about Cal Ripken, Kevin Costner and a mysterious power outage | Scott Allen | October 25, 2021 | Washington PostThat may be at least partly apocryphal, but there’s no question that elected officials today can expect less privacy than that enjoyed by politicians in the 1960s.
As Ted Cruz has learned, once you step into the spotlight, you can’t easily step out | Philip Bump | February 18, 2021 | Washington PostIt had become an apocryphal tale of sex, violence and the culture of impunity at elite institutions.
Harvard students told a lurid tale of murder. Was it true? | Marin Cogan | December 11, 2020 | Washington PostAlthough apocryphal, Sigmund Freud supposedly remarked, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,” which was meant to suggest that cigars are not always phallic symbols.
More Penises Are Appearing On TV And In Film – But Why Are Nearly All Of Them Prosthetic? | LGBTQ-Editor | October 10, 2020 | No Straight NewsThis, after a possibly apocryphal story about a man who had a knitting needle unceremoniously stabbed through his penis, preventing both his escape and his avoidance of appearing in a sex column 40 years later.
The quote is apocryphal, but that has not changed its significance for Army football players.
There are plenty of examples of Christians editing Jewish apocryphal traditions for their own communities.
Many of the quotes are mysteriously sourced, apocryphal, or misattributed.
Lovely stuff, but someone should tell the future congresswoman that every one of these quotes is apocryphal.
Fire the Crackpots of Congress! (And Replace Them with New Crackpots!) | Michael Moynihan | October 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThat semi-apocryphal quote aptly described the Britain of the 1970s.
How Margaret Thatcher Saved Britain and Changed the World | David Frum | April 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe apocryphal gospels contain many, and some are preserved by Persian and Arabian poets.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayIce of such thickness on Lake Luna at this early date, however, surprised even that apocryphal person, the oldest inhabitant.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonIt also led to the conception of the marvelous legend of the cross in the apocryphal gospels and ancient traditions.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowThese last are of interest as indicating a familiar acquaintance with the apocryphal books in the early centuries.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowOur author cites likewise some of her accusers, and considers most of the current sayings against her as apocryphal.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
British Dictionary definitions for apocryphal
/ (əˈpɒkrɪfəl) /
of questionable authenticity
(sometimes capital) of or like the Apocrypha
untrue; counterfeit
Derived forms of apocryphal
- apocryphally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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