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
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
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quasi-legendaryadjective
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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:
The record of $9.3 million is for a jersey worn by Argentinian star Maradona during a legendary quarter-final clash with England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
“Hal Williams is legendary for his acting skills, his compassion and his community engagement,” Houston wrote, describing the actor as “an icon and a true professional.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Andrew Willis was a producer at ID software, the hugely influential studio that produced legendary series Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
With just five meetings at the World Cup all-time, it doesn’t boast the long history of legendary grudge matches like Yankees vs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
So there you have it: Hamilton safely buried and assuming legendary proportions as a martyr; Burr slipping out of town, eventually headed toward bizarre adventures in the American West, but already consigned to political oblivion.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
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
But who knows, maybe if Niantic releases the legendaries and 2nd generation Pokémon I might risk it.
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
Besides their arms, which the legendaries scarcely considered as an encumbrance, they were laden with their kitchen furniture, the instruments of fortification, and the provision of many days.
From History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 1 by Milman, Henry Hart
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.
