fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.
fictitious characters
fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.
a land of fabulous riches
legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.
the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett
mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.
mythical creatures
apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.
a book that repeats many apocryphal stories
Example Sentences
legendary creatures from the sea He is the most legendary football player of his time.
Recent Examples on the WebDriscoll is a lifelong Winthrop resident who played under legendary coach Bob DeFelice, spent over 20 years coaching the Vikings, and remains the city’s director of Parks and Recreation. Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2022 His legendary former coach, Tom Osborne, also urged him to come home. Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Sep. 2022 Even legendary coach Bill Belichick and a strong defense might not be enough to save the Patriots from falling out of the playoff race.Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2022 When Tom Izzo does eventually decide to end his Hall of Fame coaching career, the plan is for the legendary basketball coach to remain around Michigan State athletics. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 30 Aug. 2022 The answer is the legendary coach who calls Oconomowoc home: John Hallett. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2022 Method acting is a technique founded by Russian theater director Konstantin Stanislavski in the 1900s and further developed by legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, according to the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 23 Aug. 2022 The legendary coach of Odessa Permian first rose to national prominence in Buzz Bissinger's 1990 book, which followed the team's quest for a state championship in 1988. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2022 While this was mitigated in the early years of their ownership as the team continued to win trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson, resentment has grown steadily after the legendary coach’s retirement in 2013. David Hellier, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2022 See More