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.
Churchill juxtaposes a surreal dinner party featuring famous women from literature, history and myth with a contemporary drama of two sisters who have made starkly different choices with their lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
But as in a two-for-one, if you can be sold on the myth that AI is superhuman, it travels along with the idea that regular humans are disposable.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The myth dies hard, and in the internet age, when everyone can find their own echo chamber, it can go on for a long time.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Experts at Scandinavian national museums know that Vikings were a diverse group, far from the all-male warrior myth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
If you read many US history books, you may find several interpretations of the country’s origin myth.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
“It’s a very powerful myth. It’s almost like the American dream — it’s a myth. But a lot of people think it’s an entitlement: ‘Where’s my American dream?’
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
“It’s the opposite of the conventional myth. The least-diverse films performed the worst and even posted a negative return on the studio’s investment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
“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
"It's a myth. They've got powerful wings, but to break a man's arm?"
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2023
“It’s mostly a myth. Besides, I don’t know that I trust the sword.”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
She said in communities where myths existed around screening, time is also required to explain what is involved and allay fears and potentially work with interpreters.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The historian’s duty, Mr. Sebag Montefiore writes, is to the facts, “but the fables and myths are important parts of the history too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
In the remaining lore, myths recur of episodes of runaway planetary temperature changes, hot and cold, as well as a series of volcanic blasts that changed the globe.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
One of the most central myths in online testosterone research is that the more is always better, without qualification.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
I tried to remember what I knew about Calypso from the old myths.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
