mythology

American  

[mi-thol-uh-jee] / mɪˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

mythologies plural

1. a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person.

   Greek mythology.

2. myths collectively.

3. the science or study of myths.

4. a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered.

   the Fascist mythology of the interwar years.

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mythology British  

/ mɪˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a body of myths, esp one associated with a particular culture, institution, person, etc

2. a body of stories about a person, institution, etc

   the mythology of Hollywood

3. myths collectively

4. the study or collecting of myths

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mythology Cultural  

1. The body of myths belonging to a culture. Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology — the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mythologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mythology

1375–1425; late Middle English mythologie < Late Latin mȳthologia < Greek mȳthología. See mytho-, -logy

Explanation

A mythology is a collection of myths or stories about a specific person, culture, religion, or any group with shared beliefs. Most people don’t consider mythology to be entirely true, but they still take it seriously. A myth is a story about the olden days, often featuring supernatural characters, and a mythology is a bunch of myths that are related to each other. Greek mythology is filled with tales about relationships between gods and humans, usually with gods pulling pranks all the time. Christian mythology tells the story of God creating the Earth and everything after. Mythology can also mean the study of myths in an academic situation, like studying mythology at a university.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mythology mythologies

Interest in the Backrooms persists precisely because they lack a fixed mythology, geographical reality, or narrative history, allowing users to construct meaning around places that, nonetheless, feel uncannily familiar.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

The longtime CIA operative had exfiltrated the families of spies from the most repressive of Middle Eastern regimes and tattooed the word “ARGONAUT,” an homage to seafaring heroes from Greek mythology, across his right forearm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

In its way, the new “Little House” acknowledges that Wilder’s mythology is one of the most potent in our literary canon.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

I think so much of the understanding of our country’s mythology can be explained by: “History is written by the victors.”

From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2026

In recent years, however, a bit of mythology has sprung up regarding the centrality of litigation to racial justice struggles.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Set partly in Eatonville, one of the country’s first incorporated all-black towns, the novel is rich in regional idioms and mythologies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

You then tend to have groupthink and bubbles that form, bubbles that are associated with their own kinds of mythologies and ideologies.

From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2026

Fisher: Both of these shows have very developed worlds and mythologies, but every effect has been designed to serve the story, it’s not the story having to serve the effect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2025

Timothée Chalamet, for example, is hugely popular - but his most recent hits have been Dune and Wonka, which had their own existing fanbases and mythologies.

From BBC ● May 24, 2024

He reads histories and mythologies and fairy tales, wondering why it seems that only girls are ever swept away from their mundane lives on farms by knights or princes or wolves.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• belief
• legend
• lore
• tradition