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
Hercules was a mythical hero who was half man and half god. gods fighting in a mythical battle in the sky The sportswriters picked a mythical all-star team. The benefits of the new policy proved to be mythical.
Recent Examples on the WebMany of the king’s attendants — including his ambitious Hand, Ser Otto Hightower — are super-hype to report that a pseudo-mythical white stag has been spotted in the forest, an auspicious omen for young Aegon. Sean T. Collins, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2022 The final season of Apple’s sci-fi dystopian drama starring Jason Momoa kicked off a few weeks ago, and follows the continuing saga of a tribe of blind people that believes two of its children have the mythical power to see. Amanda Kondolojy, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022 But this is the mythical land of the Old Testament and the The Arabian Nights, not a history textbook. Christian Holub, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2022 Before the trial in federal court in Brooklyn, Guzman had attained near-mythical status by escaping from prison twice in Mexico, the second time through a tunnel dug into the shower of his cell.NBC News, 26 Jan. 2022 Before the trial in federal court in Brooklyn, Guzman had attained near-mythical status by escaping from prison twice in Mexico, the second time through a tunnel dug into the shower of his cell. Tom Hays, ajc, 25 Jan. 2022 Once harnessed with magical powers, participants will come face to face with mythical creatures from the wizarding world, such as Hippogriffs, centaurs, unicorns, Pygmy Puffs and Nifflers. Anna Tingley, Variety, 23 Aug. 2022 The musical is a mashup of the two mythical tales of Orpheus and Eurydice and of King Hades and his wife, Persephone, in a post-apocalyptic setting.San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2022 Crocodiles and gold, impenetrable forests, trees the size of castles, mythical creatures, black soil and neon fruits. Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
mythical, from Late Latin mȳthicus "of myth, legendary" (borrowed from Greek mȳthikós, from mŷthos "utterance, tale, myth" + -ikos-ic entry 1) + -al entry 1; mythic, borrowed from Late Latin mȳthicus