legendary
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or of the nature of a legend.
- Synonyms:
- superhuman, strange, supernatural, heroic
-
celebrated or described in legend.
a legendary hero.
noun
-
legendaries
plural
adjective
-
of or relating to legend
-
celebrated or described in a legend or legends
-
very famous or notorious
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
prelegendaryadjective
-
pseudolegendaryadjective
-
quasi-legendaryadjective
-
semilegendaryadjective
-
legendarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of legendary
From the Medieval Latin word legendārius, dating back to 1505–15. See legend, -ary
Explanation
It's one thing to be famous. It's another thing altogether to be legendary, or like a legend. The Monkees were a famous band. The Beatles are legendary — for most people, they are almost mythical in their greatness. There are a couple of ways to become legendary, but, however you get there, you have to become a legend. The first way is to be better at something than anyone else ever was. Michael Jordan, for example, is a legendary basketball player. The other way is to be known — and yet remain mysterious — for a very long time. The legendary Loch Ness Monster, for example, is very well known for a creature that (almost?) no one has ever actually seen.
Vocabulary lists containing legendary
The Crossover
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We Were Liars
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In her modest office, a poster bears a famous quote from legendary Soviet rock group Kino: "Our hearts demand changes."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The band will return to the scene of their legendary 1996 gigs at Knebworth House to play four nights at the 125,000-capacity venue in September next year.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"His costumes were works of art, and he will go down as one of the most legendary designers ever in Hollywood."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
A year later, after a stint with Thelonious Monk’s pioneering group, the saxophonist returned to Davis’s quintet and eventually played, with great credit, on Davis’s legendary 1959 album, “Kind of Blue.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Roz welcomed them, they were delighted to meet the legendary robot, and then the flock continued south.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
It is possible to take on easy ones on your own, but for legendaries, it’s best to find some friends.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 20, 2018
But who knows, maybe if Niantic releases the legendaries and 2nd generation Pokémon I might risk it.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 6, 2016
The game has gotten slow for me now that I have completed my Pokédex, except of course for the legendaries and region-exclusive Pokémon.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 6, 2016
All exotics could be leveled using one or two easily-purchasable shards, and even all old legendaries could now reach new damage max levels using the more rare Etheric Light.
From Forbes ● Jul. 21, 2015
So the poet freely indulged his genius during these Aldgate days, turning and returning the leaves of his French and Italian legendaries, and evoking such ghosts as he pleased to live again on earth.
From Chaucer and His England by G. G. Coulton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
