myth

¹ American  

[mith] / mɪθ /

noun

1. 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.

2. stories or matter of this kind.

   realm of myth.

3. any invented story, idea, or concept.

   His account of the event is pure myth.

   Synonyms:

   fantasy , fiction

4. an imaginary or fictitious thing or person.

5. an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.

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myth. ² American  

abbreviation

1. mythological.

2. mythology.

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myth ¹ British  

/ mɪθ /

noun

1. 1. a story about superhuman beings of an earlier age taken by preliterate society to be a true account, usually of how natural phenomena, social customs, etc, came into existence

   2. another word for mythology mythology

2. a person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven

3. (in modern literature) a theme or character type embodying an idea

   Hemingway's myth of the male hero

4. philosophy (esp in the writings of Plato) an allegory or parable

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myth. ² British  

abbreviation

1. mythological

2. mythology

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Related Words

See legend.

Other Word Forms

• countermyth noun

Etymology

Origin of myth

First recorded in 1820–30; from Late Latin mȳthus, from Greek mŷthos “story, word”

Example Sentences

“The myth of Batman is dangerous, especially for Harfuch. Making him a myth imposes on him the responsibility of pacifying the country. But, as we all know, Omar can’t defeat organized crime by himself.”

From Los Angeles Times

In “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” the streaming TV show’s executive producer, host and narrator does a dramatized dive into one saint’s life in each episode and tries to separate historical facts from myths.

From The Wall Street Journal

Back in its day, the myth insists, life was nicer and simpler.

From Salon

UK special forces troops who served in Sarajevo during the siege have told the BBC the allegations are an "urban myth".

From BBC

Here we find a quote from Michael Longley’s 1966 review of “Death of a Naturalist,” which argued that its “childhood landscape has acquired the validity of myth.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fable
• fantasy
• fiction
• illusion
• imagination
• legend
• lore
• parable
• superstition
• tale
• tradition