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 In response, Europeans spread the myth of their cannibalism, which would be used to justify their enslavement. Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 The horror conceit occasionally lapses into B-movie costume drama with antagonists that feel more pastiche than myth. Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025 Based on legal proceedings and real investigations, The Monster of Florence revisits one of Italy’s darkest chapters through the eyes of those accused over the years—the possible monsters—exposing how hysteria and speculation blurred the line between truth and myth. Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 22 Oct. 2025 But even as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld—the power to conquer death itself. Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for myth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for myth
Noun
  • The Heart of the Ocean may be fictional, but its legend feels real—modeled loosely on the Hope Diamond.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
  • That’s football, even legends come and go.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Set in Salem, Massachusetts, the third season will dive deeper into the mythology of witchcraft, introduce new ‘spellbound’ families and feature some of the historical happenings of Salem, the infamous town of witch trials and folklore.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Curse builds a complex internal mythology using clips from fake reality TV series and faux newscasts, steadily undermining the viewer's sense of reality by combining sinister figures from Japanese folklore with an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
    Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Neptune retrograde in Pisces, on the other hand, dissolves the fog of illusion, which also serves as an invitation to confront an emotional truth with clarity and compassion.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Advertisement But pretending that migration can or should be stopped is a dangerous illusion.
    Jonathan Portes, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Will there be fables about musical sand dunes on Mars?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • There’s a whole other movie happening within Good Fortune‘s attempt to Aesop-fable its way to some moral about a modest life being a more fulfilling one even if you’re forced to live in your car.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The longer, second part of each episode ('The Long Sweetening') focuses on a history or folklore topic from the Ozark region.
    Becca Martin-Brown, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The film is inspired by Mexican folklore.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • With the excitement and delusion of Humbert Humbert imposing a purple-prose narrative on his pedophilic assumptions, Hank speaks of his former student like a James Dean figure — beautiful, brooding and quietly intelligent.
    Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
  • In Pisces, the taskmaster teaches us how to dream without delusion, and how to love without losing ourselves in the process.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Earlier this month, Bush told PEOPLE that Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his wife, actress Hailee Steinfeld, have previously put on the party, but work commitments prevented Steinfeld from continuing the tradition.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • According to a 2015 Time Magazine story, the tradition of benign pranks began sometime in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States, brought on perhaps as a way to defuse the tensions of economic devastation and the pain of war.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The defence remains porous, error-prone and vulnerable on corners.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The Times’ error immediately garnered write-ups in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other outlets.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Myth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/myth. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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