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

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Etymology

Origin of mythology

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

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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

Early in the process, she insisted that the Valkyries, named for the female battlefield figures of Norse mythology, choose colors that weren’t the Warriors’ blue and gold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

Its unusual appearance inspired a name drawn from ancient Chinese mythology.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

The house has been named Fomorian - meaning a supernatural race of giants in Irish mythology - taking inspiration from the mythical giant Rombald who is told to have lived on Ilkley Moor.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Earlier this week, the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry and literature were announced in Stockholm, with the latter going to Canadian poet Anne Carson on Thursday for her modern twists on Greek mythology and antiquity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

For the rest, I’ve been thoroughly spoiled and have received a number of lovely presents, including a big book on my favorite subject, Greek and Roman mythology.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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

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

It features more than one hundred objects that, as the exhibition description puts it, “mine the iconographies and mythologies embedded in everyday consumer culture.”

From New York Times ● May 3, 2024

And as she read, America’s mythologies began to take on meaning, America’s tribalisms—race, ideology, and region—became clear.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

• belief
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• lore
• tradition

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