myth

noun \ ˈmith \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of myth

1 a : a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon

creation myths

b : parable, allegory

Moral responsibility is the motif of Plato's myths.

2 a : a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially : one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society

seduced by the American myth of individualism
—Orde Coombs

the utopian myth of a perfect society

b : an unfounded or false notion

the myth of racial superiority

3 : a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence

the Superman myth

The unicorn is a myth.

4 : the whole body of myths

a student of Greek myth

See myth defined for English-language learners

See myth defined for kids

Examples of myth in a Sentence

It's an enduring myth that money brings happiness.
I don't believe the myths and legends about this forest.
Contrary to popular myth, no monster lives in this lake.

Recent Examples of myth from the Web

Be a citizen scientist and spread the word about reporting bat colonies to MassWildlife, help dispel myths and fears about bats.

— margeaux sippell, BostonGlobe.com, "Little brown bats are dying; why we should care," 16 Apr. 2018
Real national programs, not myths, will move us toward answers for closing the gap in wealth between the races.

— antonio moore, Fortune, "Commentary: What We Get Wrong About Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap," 16 Apr. 2018
Of course, there’s usually some grain of truth at the heart of a myth, and toxic sweat is no exception.

— National Geographic, "Fact or Fiction: Can You Really Sweat Out Toxins?," 6 Apr. 2018
The myth and the reality If a taxi is only one smartphone click away, argue Uber and Lyft, then travelers will be less inclined to own a car, and therefore spend less time driving.

— story hinckley, The Christian Science Monitor, "Are your Uber and Lyft accounts worsening traffic?," 4 Apr. 2018
They were raised on King, the myth, sanitized for general consumption — some would say rendered nonthreatening to white America — and passed on through school programs and feel good television specials.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy still lives on in the work of young Baltimore activists," 4 Apr. 2018
Most Compatible Cousin: Stormi Webster Least Compatible Cousins: Mason, Reign, and Saint Saint West Birthday: December 5, 2015 Sign: Sagittarius The toddler, the myth, the (will most likely be) legend.

— mariah smith, The Cut, "Introducing the Kardashian Cousin Compatibility Chart," 28 Mar. 2018
With various groups offering regular shootouts, tourists are exposed more myths and legends than to what life was really like back in the 1880s.

— scott craven, azcentral, "Spring break ideas for middle school kids in Arizona," 9 Mar. 2018
Addiction experts discuss myths and facts surrounding opioid addition at UC College of Medicine.

— terry demio, Cincinnati.com, "NKY adding more addiction treatment with St. Elizabeth hospital donation," 30 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'myth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of myth

earlier mythos, mythus, borrowed from Greek mŷthos "utterance, speech, discourse, tale, narrative, fiction, legend," of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1830

See Words from the same year

myth Synonyms

Other Mythology and Folklore Terms

elysian, fay, muse, nimbus, phoenix

MYTH Defined for English Language Learners

myth

noun

Definition of myth for English Language Learners

: an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true
: a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence
: such stories as a group

MYTH Defined for Kids

myth

noun \ ˈmith \

Definition of myth for Students

1 : a story often describing the adventures of beings with more than human powers that attempts to explain mysterious events (as the changing of the seasons) or that explains a religious belief or practice

2 : such stories as a group

3 : a person or thing existing only in the imagination