mythology

noun

my·​thol·​o·​gy mi-ˈthä-lə-jē How to pronounce mythology (audio)
plural mythologies
1
: an allegorical narrative
2
: a body of myths: such as
a
: the myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people
b
: mythos sense 2
cold war mythology
3
: a branch of knowledge that deals with myth
4
: a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something : myth sense 2a
defective mythologies that ignore masculine depth of feelingRobert Bly
mythologer noun
mythologist noun

Examples of mythology in a Sentence

We have been studying ancient Greek mythology. We compared the two cultures' mythologies. There is a popular mythology that he discovered the cause of the disease by himself.
Recent Examples on the Web But even before this linguistic genesis, loyalty is a consistent theme in Greek mythology. Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Both will eventually get new names that reference the Nereid sea goddesses from Greek mythology. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 The Ziz is named for a giant water bird from Hebrew mythology that rules over and protects smaller birds. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024 In Greek mythology, Parthenope – as she is known in English – is the name of a siren who, having failed to entice Odysseus with her songs, cast herself into the sea and drowned. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024 Who is Cupid? Cupid, the arrow-shooting cherub associated with Valentine's Day, is rooted in both Roman and Greek mythology. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2024 Believed to soar through the waters and heavens as a nature deity ruling over the rains, the dragon is a dominant figure in Chinese mythology, perched at the center of longstanding creation tales. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Other theories to explain the curse include worker deaths during construction, the hotel’s 2008 installation of a Titanic exhibit and the fact that the sphinx has no pair (Egyptian mythology may hold that a singular sphinx could leave its pyramid exposed). Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 And of course as per my own mythology, where my girlfriend Lara and I had the best first date ever in the summer of 2015 (shout-out to the wonderful Yolanda for being our server on that fateful day). Joanne Spataro, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mythology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English methologie, mithologie "exposition of a myth, book of myths," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French mythologie, borrowed from Late Latin mȳthologia (in Mythologiae, title of a myth compilation by Fulgentius, ca. 500), borrowed from Greek mȳthología "fiction, storytelling," from mŷthos "utterance, tale, myth" + -o- -o- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mythology was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near mythology

Cite this Entry

“Mythology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mythology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mythology

noun
my·​thol·​o·​gy mith-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce mythology (audio)
plural mythologies
1
: a collection of myths
especially : the myths dealing with the gods and heroes of a particular people
Greek mythology
2
: a branch of knowledge that deals with myths
mythological
ˌmith-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on mythology

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!