myth

1
as in legend
a traditional but unfounded story that gives the reason for a current custom, belief, or fact of nature according to an ancient Greek myth, humans acquired fire from Prometheus, a Titan who had stolen it from heaven

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2
as in mythology
the body of customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings associated with a people, thing, or place over the years Davy Crockett evolved from an actual person to one of the great figures of American myth

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of myth Yet myths still swirl around who can and should take PrEP. Essence, 31 Mar. 2025 The backstory: The Lost Cause myth was developed by white southerners to portray the Civil War as a noble effort to protect the southern way of life while downplaying the horrors of enslavement. Russell Contreras, Axios, 30 Mar. 2025 But the notion that defense protectionism creates all that many jobs is another myth. Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025 Wielding Excalibur, the sword of myth, Gawain grows more powerful as the sun rises, reaching peak strength at midday. Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for myth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for myth
Noun
  • On Thursday, Judge notched his 500th career extra-base hit, becoming the third-fastest player in Yankees history (in terms of games) to reach the mark, trailing a pair of legends: Joe DiMaggio (853 games) and Lou Gehrig (874 games).
    Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Deion Sanders is a former NFL legend and is trying to build up a similar legendary status in the college football game.
    Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Few bands have inspired such complicated or closely studied mythology.
    Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Tweaking the age-old mythology of a creature that’s graced biblical passages, Renaissance paintings and many a tween’s backpack, filmmaker Alex Scharfman’s debut does manage to rebrand the unicorn as something other than kid-friendly.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • On far too many occasions, Watson chose deceit over candor, grasping for the illusion of business success and personal acclaim at any cost.
    Peter White, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Yet there are filmmakers who fall prey to the illusion too.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Bereft of chuckles or even a substantial story, this maudlin musical fable never escapes the drag of a lead character with supporting-player energy.
    Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Many of our favorite stories, fables and rhymes came from the volumes of the set of Childcraft Books published in 1954 which accompany our family’s ages-old set of World Book Encyclopedias.
    Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Eye of the Storm South of Midnight follows Hazel, a teenage track star caught between reality and folklore after their mother’s home is swept away during a hurricane.
    Sarah Thwaites, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
  • However, Hazel’s spirit quest soon takes her into a fantastical Southern Gothic fantasy realm where the region's various myths and folklore suddenly come to life.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • That would be you, the audience, fed a royal jelly concocted of dream, fantasy, myth, popcorn, even delusion.
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Many of these protagonists endure the tedium and humiliation of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations, losing days and years to paralyzing inertia, and experiencing terrifying delusions of persecution and betrayal.
    Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Trader Joe’s has a longstanding tradition of offering reusable canvas shopping bags, which began in 1977.
    Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But for Shawn Amos, son of legendary entrepreneur Wally Amos—the founder of Famous Amos cookies—baking wasn’t just a family tradition.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.
    Sid Evans, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The margins for error are always going to be thin on a cold, wet night like Monday, but Juan Soto is a safe bet any night.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Myth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/myth. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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