legendary
adj. · n.-
1 very famous (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediateextremely famous and admired by many people.
celebrated or described in well-known stories; having achieved a level of fame that makes the subject a household name.
ExampleThe singer gave a legendary performance that people still talk about today.
ExampleThe guitarist's legendary status was cemented after his performance at the festival, which many critics still consider the greatest in rock history.
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2 from old stories (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediaterelating to or based on old stories called legends.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a legend; existing in traditional stories rather than historical fact.
ExampleKing Arthur is a legendary figure who may not have actually existed.
ExampleThe historian attempted to separate the legendary elements of the king's life from the few verifiable facts found in contemporary records.
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3 remarkable or great (adj.) C1 Advanced Informalso good or so great that it is hard to believe.
remarkable enough to be famous; very impressive.
ExampleThe traffic in this city is legendary for being terrible.
ExampleThe professor's legendary temper made students think twice before arriving late to his lectures.
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4 a book of stories (n.) C2 Proficiency Archaic Religionan old book containing stories about the lives of saints.
a collection of legends, specifically hagiographies or accounts of the lives of saints.
ExampleThe monk spent years copying the legendary by hand.
ExampleScholars examined the medieval legendary to understand how the local cult of the saint had evolved over several centuries.
- hagiography
From legend + -ary; from Medieval Latin legendārius. Earlier it was a noun meaning "a collection of legends" (1510s) (Medieval Latin legendārium, Old French legendier), from Latin legenda. In English, both the noun and the adjective first appeared in the 16th century.