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Myth and Urban Myth
For a word so often applied to events or stories from long, long ago, myth has a remarkably recent history in the English language. The earliest evidence for the word is from 1830, well after the time when the events themselves are thought to have occurred (though it should be noted that the related words mythology and mythic are hundreds of years older – still not as old as Achilles, but not young, either!). One application of myth, however – in the phrase urban myth – is quite new. Curiously, an urban myth does not usually have anything to do with the city: it is simply “a story about an unusual event or occurrence that many people believe is true but that is not true.” An example would be the tale that Elvis Presley is still alive after spending decades in a witness protection program. The phrase urban myth has been used to describe such hoaxes since at least 1971.
Examples of myth in a Sentence
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 23 Nov. 2025
In the same fashion, steam, electric, and internal combustion engines made obsolete those giants of strength and endurance like John Henry, whose memory has given us an American myth.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
This suggests that humans developed an interest in narrative imagery, myth, and a deep spiritual connection with the natural world far earlier than current documentation shows.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025
Though Mount Rushmore was built to commemorate the first 150 years of American history, in some ways, history is glaringly absent at the memorial today, while myth is abundant.
—Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for myth
Cite this Entry
“Myth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myth. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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myth
noun
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