apocryphal
Americanadjective
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of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
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Ecclesiastical.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Apocrypha.
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of doubtful sanction; uncanonical.
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false; spurious.
He told an apocryphal story about the sword, but the truth was later revealed.
adjective
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of questionable authenticity
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(sometimes capital) of or like the Apocrypha
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untrue; counterfeit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of apocryphal
First recorded in 1580–90; apocryph(a) + -al 1
Explanation
Urban legends — stories about phantom hitchhikers, deep-fried rats, and spider eggs in bubblegum — are classic examples of apocryphal tales. They're told as if they're true, but no one can ever verify their origins or authenticity. Today, any dubious or unverifiable story may be dismissed as apocryphal. Originally, however, apocryphal was reserved for religious writings that were not included in the Torah or the New Testament of the Bible because the divinity of the texts was not certain. These texts are known as the Apocrypha and are included in the Septuagint (a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible) and the Vulgate (a Latin Bible edited in the 4th century).
Vocabulary lists containing apocryphal
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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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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.
Apocryphal tales about the "pig's blood" incident began to circulate about 20 years later, but they did not involve Pershing and there's no evidence such a thing ever happened.
From Salon • May 20, 2019
Apocryphal tale or not, death has given a lucrative boost to the selling power of not just Elvis, but also Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and a host of other music legends.
From BBC • Aug. 15, 2017
He left out some curious stuff, like The Bitter Withy and The Seven Virgins, which are very old songs from the Apocryphal Gospels.
From The Guardian • Feb. 8, 2013
Apocryphal or not the story gets at the heart of “Messiah.”
From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2012
Hence the so-called Apocryphal New Testament, a collection of writings as ancient, and once as accepted, as those found in the Canon.
From Flowers of Freethought (Second Series) by Foote, G. W. (George William)
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.
