1
: of doubtful authenticity : spurious an apocryphal story about George Washington2
often capitalized : of or resembling the Apocrypha Apocryphal books of the Old Testament Did you know?In biblical study, Apocrypha refers to books outside an accepted canon of scripture. In modern use, the term refers specifically to a group of ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches; Protestant churches follow Jewish tradition in considering these books noncanonical. Both apocrypha and apocryphal come, via Latin, from the Greek word apokrýptein, meaning "to hide (from), keep hidden (from)," which in turn comes from krýptein, "to conceal, hide." Both words entered English in the 16th century with their nonbiblical meanings, apocrypha referring to writings or statements of dubious authenticity, and apocryphal describing such things. Apocryphal is now the more common word. It most often describes an oft-repeated tale that is almost certainly not true.
Choose the Right Synonym for apocryphal
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.
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
Examples of apocryphal in a Sentence During these men's professional lives, Wall Street has become accustomed to getting what it wants from Washington. America's top bankers have an even longer history of not giving a hoot what the public thinks. Sample (possibly apocryphal) quote from the original J. P. Morgan: " I owe the public nothing." —Daniel Gross, Newsweek, 23 Feb. 2009 True or apocryphal, the story of the invention of the fried Ipswich clam—Mr. Woodman, faced with a huge vat of hot oil for his potato chips and a mess of clams harvested from the mud flats of his home town, reportedly had a eureka moment—is unabashed gospel for lovers of this regional specialty. —Nancy Harmon Jenkins, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2002 There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, about Leonard Bernstein and tax returns. On the line that asked him to list his profession, Bernstein didn't write "conductor" or "composer," or "pianist," or "teacher." He simply wrote, "musician." —Bari Walsh, Bostonia, Winter 2000-2001 an apocryphal story about the president's childhood Word HistoryFirst Known Use
1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of apocryphal was in 1583 Cite this Entry“Apocryphal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocryphal. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
More from Merriam-Webster on apocryphal Last Updated: 21 Mar 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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