Apocryphal Meaning: Stories, Examples and Practice Quiz

Apocryphal (adjective). Apocryphal describes a story, quotation or claim whose truth or origin is doubtful. It often suggests that a familiar, repeated story is probably not authentic.

Example: The guide described the tale about the castle’s secret tunnel as apocryphal because no reliable record supported it.

Pronunciation guide: uh-POK-rih-fuhl (UK); uh-PAH-kruh-fuhl (US). Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

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What is an apocryphal story?

An apocryphal story is presented or repeated as something that happened, but there are reasons to doubt it. The uncertainty might concern the event itself, the details or the source.

For example, imagine a story that a school founder wrote its song during a train journey. If the story is widely repeated but has no dependable source, a historian might describe it as apocryphal. This is an invented example for learning the word.

Calling a story apocryphal does not establish that the person repeating it is deliberately lying. They may believe the story.

Apocryphal, fictional and unverified

Fictional describes something created for a story. A fictional character is not normally being passed off as historical fact. Unverified means that something has not been confirmed; it might later prove true.

Apocryphal usually goes further by suggesting doubtful authenticity. A novelist’s invented scene, an unconfirmed report and a dubious anecdote therefore need different descriptions.

A myth, legend or fable is not automatically an apocryphal claim. Consider what kind of story it is and whether someone is presenting it as a factual account.

Examples of apocryphal and apocryphally

• The biography questions an apocryphal anecdote about the painter’s childhood.
• That apocryphal quotation appears online without a traceable source.
• The editor labelled the account possibly apocryphal while checking its origin.
• The remark is apocryphally attributed to the town’s first mayor.

Apocryphally is the adverb. In the last example, it signals doubt about the attribution. Practise the adjective with a noun and the adverb with a verb or participle.

Origin and the religious use

The word is connected, through Latin, with Greek roots for hiding or concealment. In religious study, Apocryphal can refer to writings associated with the Apocrypha.

Which writings count as scripture depends on the religious tradition. This specialised use needs its own context; it should not be reduced to “all such books are false.”

For everyday writing, name the uncertain source when you can: “The anecdote is probably apocryphal; its earliest known appearance gives no source.” The explanation makes the judgment easier for a reader to assess.

Practise apocryphal: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. If a question asks you to write a sentence, your own correct example is welcome.

Question 1

A famous anecdote has a doubtful source but is often retold as fact. Which word fits: apocryphal or verified?

Question 2

Is every openly invented story in a novel automatically an apocryphal story?

Question 3

Complete: “The saying is ___ attributed to the founder.” Choose apocryphal or apocryphally.

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Compare these words next: Heinous meaning and practice and Vigilant meaning and practice.

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Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Apocryphal. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.