apocryphal
adjective
apoc·ry·phal
| \ ə-ˈpä-krə-fəl
\
\
Definition of apocryphal
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Other Words from apocryphal
apocryphally
\ -fə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
apocryphalness
noun
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
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Recent Examples on the Web
As with any cultural icon, beneath the shining veneer must lie untold stories, apocryphal or otherwise. — Yunte Huang, WSJ, "‘The Banished Immortal’ Review: ‘Heaven Begot a Talent Like Me’," 11 Jan. 2019 There are no such anecdotes, apocryphal or otherwise, about Piccioli. — Mariano Vivanco; Fashion Editor: Miguel Enamorado, Harper's BAZAAR, "Valentino's Creative Director on Bringing His Poetic Vision to Fashion," 21 Aug. 2019 The cult of the Lost Cause embraced an apocryphal history suffused with nostalgia for a world of valorous Confederates, kindly masters, and contented slaves. — Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, "Race, History, and Memories of a Virginia Girlhood," 18 July 2019 Betsy Ross is most commonly associated with the creation of the first United States flag -- though that story may be largely apocryphal. — oregonlive.com, "The Betsy Ross flag: Has it become a symbol of hate?," 2 July 2019 The story of Judith and Holofernes is found among the apocryphal works of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of Hebrew Scripture, which formed the basis for the Old Testament. — National Geographic, "Meet the Biblical heroine who beheaded a Babylonian to save her people," 22 Mar. 2019 The apocryphal utterance has come to represent the defiance of science in the face of religious, societal or governmental opposition. — Alan Hirshfeld, WSJ, "‘The Workshop and the World’ Review: Science and Authority," 5 Apr. 2019 The story of the waffle iron has taken on an apocryphal tone all these years later. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "How a Dirty Old Waffle Iron Became Nike's Holy Grail," 15 July 2016 Power, Pleasure, and Profit By David Wootton Belknap/Harvard, 386 pages, $35 Newsletter Sign-up In modern society, to all appearances, Franklin’s apocryphal quip has trumped Kant’s moral system. — Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, "‘Power, Pleasure, and Profit’ Review: Self-Mastery Versus Self-Interest," 5 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apocryphal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for apocryphal
apocryphal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of apocryphal
: well-known but probably not true
See the full definition for apocryphal in the English Language Learners Dictionary