mythos

American  

[mith-os, mahy-thos] / ˈmɪθ ɒs, ˈmaɪ θɒs /

noun

plural

mythoi

1. the underlying system of beliefs, especially those dealing with supernatural forces, characteristic of a particular cultural group.

2. myth.

3. mythology.

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mythos British  

/ ˈmɪθɒs, ˈmaɪθɒs /

noun

1. the complex of beliefs, values, attitudes, etc, characteristic of a specific group or society

2. another word for myth mythology

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Etymology

Origin of mythos

1745–55; < Greek mȳ́thos; myth

Example Sentences

Aside from the horse, the wolf is probably the four-legged animal most associated with the mixed American mythos of rugged independence and family values.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

Every tweak, however small, feels like a challenge to a mythos that some customers have long believed they own.

From Salon • Aug. 22, 2025

The mythos of Bourdain lands differently in a moment like this.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2025

Still, Jane’s Addiction left the stage with its mysterious and magical mythos intact, as embodied especially in the disparate duo of Navarro and Farrell.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2024

Hinduism had started off as a polytheistic religion, a set of tales about warrior gods and battles similar in many ways to the Greek mythos.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife