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apocryphal
[ uh-pok-ruh-fuhl ]
/ əˈpɒk rə fəl /
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adjective
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.
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Origin of apocryphal
First recorded in 1580–90; apocryph(a) + -al1
OTHER WORDS FROM apocryphal
a·poc·ry·phal·ly, adverba·poc·ry·phal·ness, nounWords nearby apocryphal
apochromatic, apocopate, apocope, apocrine, apocrypha, apocryphal, Apocryphal Gospels, apocynaceous, apocynthion, apodal, apodeictic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use apocryphal in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for apocryphal
apocryphal
/ (əˈpɒkrɪfəl) /
adjective
of questionable authenticity
(sometimes capital) of or like the Apocrypha
untrue; counterfeit
Derived forms of apocryphal
apocryphally, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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