apocryphal

[uh-pok-ruh-fuhl]

adjective

1. of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

2. Ecclesiastical.

   1. (initial capital letter),  of or relating to the Apocrypha.

   2. of doubtful sanction; uncanonical.

3. false; spurious.

   He told an apocryphal story about the sword, but the truth was later revealed.

apocryphal

/ əˈpɒkrɪfəl /

adjective

1. of questionable authenticity

2. (sometimes capital) of or like the Apocrypha

3. untrue; counterfeit

Other Word Forms

• apocryphally adverb
• apocryphalness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of apocryphal¹

First recorded in 1580–90; apocryph(a) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

An apocryphal story has George Washington breakfasting with Thomas Jefferson and referring to the Senate as a saucer intended to cool the passions of the intemperate lower chamber.

From Los Angeles Times

Morgan’s reply may be apocryphal, but it encompasses the truism that investors should divorce their emotional response to the markets from the cold analysis that should underlie investment decisions, if possible.

From Los Angeles Times

What of President Jackson's likely apocryphal rebuttal of the power of the courts, that they don't have an army to make him follow their rulings?

From Salon

The president of the United States posted a possibly apocryphal quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte on social media Saturday: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps most famously — if apocryphally — in 1980, after performing for Carter in the Rose Garden, Willie Nelson claimed he sparked a joint while sitting on the roof of the White House.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fictitious 
• inaccurate 
• mythical 
• unsubstantiated 
• untrue