apocryphal

adjective
UK: /əˈpɒkrɪfəl/
US: /əˈpɑːkrɪfəl/

  1. A story or statement of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true.

    1. The story about the founding of the company is likely apocryphal. [ ] [ ]
    2. Despite many retellings, the details of the event remain largely apocryphal, obscured by time. [ ] [ ]

  2. Of questionable origin; spurious; not genuine or true.

    1. Is that an apocryphal signature, or did she really sign it? [ ] [ ]
    2. The so-called 'lost chapter' of the book was quickly dismissed as apocryphal by scholars. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

spurious doubtful unauthenticated legendary false mythical fictitious

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "apocryphal" in English means: A story or statement of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true., Of questionable origin; spurious; not genuine or true..

The phonetic transcription of "apocryphal" is /əˈpɒkrɪfəl/ in British English and /əˈpɑːkrɪfəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "apocryphal": spurious, doubtful, unauthenticated, legendary, false, mythical, fictitious.

Example usage of "apocryphal": "The story about the founding of the company is likely apocryphal.". More examples on the page.