a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
stories or matter of this kind.
realm of myth.
any invented story, idea, or concept.
His account of the event is pure myth.
an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.
an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.
mythological.
mythology.
a person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven
(in modern literature) a theme or character type embodying an idea
Hemingway's myth of the male hero
philosophy (esp in the writings of Plato) an allegory or parable
mythological
mythology
See legend.
First recorded in 1820–30; from Late Latin mȳthus, from Greek mŷthos “story, word”
A myth is a story that’s told again and again and serves to explain why something is the way it is. A creation myth, for example, is a story that tells how the world came into being. You may have studied Greek or Roman myths in which gods and goddesses wage war and play tricks on each other. These myths are not necessarily true stories from the past — the main idea is that they explain certain ideas about the world and how people act. The story might be accepted as true and serve to explain some fact about the world, or it might be known to be made-up but nevertheless illustrates something about people or history.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After reviewing the history and spread of the myth, researchers concluded that bites from adult rattlesnakes are generally more dangerous because adults carry and inject much larger amounts of venom.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
“It’s a myth that men can make it out here alone,” Tann says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But in this case, the myth turns out to be real — and hard data back it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
This will always be one of those essential movies about a particular national dream — not just a myth — of emerging from economic catastrophe and being reborn in the promised land of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
When he was feeling easiest, usually around noon, I would ask him for a myth or tale.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
“At first they didn’t believe it, and people thought it was a mistake or a myth. But sightings just kept coming!”
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2023
“Sometimes we buy into our own model minority myth. Why did we choose not to talk about this movement, arguably the first of its kind?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2022
"The trouble is," says Prof Wessely, "it's not true. There's no evidence to support it. It's a myth. It's quite a useful myth because there is some evidence that a decompression period can help."
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2022
“We all definitely have a lot of struggles and the fact that we’re speaking out about them in a public forum starts to deconstruct that myth. We’re human, we’re complicated people.”
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022
“All that Tribal rubbish about jinn and efrits, ghuls and wraiths—it’s not rubbish, Veturius. It’s not myth. The old creatures are real. They're coming for us. Protect her. It's the only thing you're good for.”
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
It recounts the titular hero's 10-year quest to return home from war and includes some of the most famous Ancient Greek myths, including one-eyed monster Cyclops and the Sirens.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
This correlation has long been the subject of urban myths on Wall Street, and many have dismissed it out of hand.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Reniqua Allen-Lamphere, a writer who's researched black attitudes toward the Dream, described the concept as one of America's "most enduring myths".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Like other national myths, this is all a mix of lies, truths and distortions of reality — and ideals and aspirations.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
I picked it because it had a rather stylish embossed dragon on the cover, but when I started reading I discovered it was an educated investigation into several common myths.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
