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apocryphal

[uh-pok-ruh-fuhl] / əˈpɒk rə fəl /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Havel tells the apocryphal story of a greengrocer who refuses to place a sign proclaiming “Workers of the world, unite!” in his shop window.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

This apocryphal lazybones is defined by two traits.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

What defines him instead are various quips, mordant jokes and accounts of bizarre behavior, many no doubt apocryphal, recorded by his admirers and detractors in the centuries after his death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

An apocryphal story has George Washington breakfasting with Thomas Jefferson and referring to the Senate as a saucer intended to cool the passions of the intemperate lower chamber.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2025

But then you felt everything Hoagland said was apocryphal, always questionable.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee




Vocabulary lists containing apocryphal