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.
The painting portrays a moment in an ancient Cretan myth recounted in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”: Zeus descends to Earth, transforms himself into a white bull and lolls among the herds belonging to the Phoenician king.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
This year they have taken that myth further than ever, and Media Matters for America put a number on exactly how far.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Miller-Moreno saga is a textbook example of how this promise of patriarchal protection is a myth.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
The story - or myth - goes, that following their last win in 1951 the Mayo team's boisterous celebrations on an open-back lorry interrupted a funeral in the village of Foxford.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
First, you have to know about Shahryar, who was a Persian king—not in true history, but in myth history.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
“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
"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
“The myth that plants hate to be moved is exactly that: a myth. Any plant is happy to move,” he says, “so long as the conditions in the new spot are better.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2021
“Kind of funny. It’s pretty cool. … It’s a myth. My parents won’t tell me the story.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 24, 2021
“Oh! you mustn’t think that. The downtrodden governess is quite an exploded myth. I can assure you that it’s the parents who are afraid of being bullied by me.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
What we heard: In the 12 episodes, Meghan would try to break down myths that get ascribed to women.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Or did they fall prey to the old myths of its transcendency?
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
The adaptation of the Tony-award-winning musical blends two ancient Greek myths with themes of love and class struggle, set in the Depression-era world.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
There is a timelessness to Mitchell’s work, thanks in large part to the ancient source material, the myths of Orpheus, Eurydice, Hades and Persephone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Of course, these stories were just that, a collection of myths and folktales.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
