Definition of myth
1a : 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 mythsb : parable, allegory Moral responsibility is the motif of Plato's myths.
2a : 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 societyb : 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
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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
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For example, a parent’s death shatters the myth we children nurture of their immortality.
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Historically, the idea of extracting DNA from an Egyptian mummy has been a bit like trying to suck dinosaur DNA out an insect trapped in amber: a tantalizing prospect, but still more myth than science.
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A quiet land surveyor, dissatisfied with his home life, takes a mysterious job in an isolated, unnamed Irish forest steeped in myth and legend.
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Myth-busting website Snopes, though, called bull on Rangel’s statement that the frog weighed 13 pounds.
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The band was led by the enigmatic HR, and director James Lathos tries to get at the man behind the myth.
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The believers come by the thousands, searching and exploring the giant peak’s myth and magic.
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In the wild west of hotel ratings, the absence of a clear global system has enabled the seven-star myth to seep into the mainstream, bubbling up every few years when an unbelievably opulent hotel opens its doors.
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Children down in the Cartel States grew up and died thinking that the Colorado River was as much a myth as the chupacabra that Angel's old abuela had told him about.
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
Greek mythos
First Known Use: 1830
MYTH Defined for English Language Learners
myth
playDefinition of myth for English Language Learners
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: an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true
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: a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence
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: such stories as a group
MYTH Defined for Kids
myth
playDefinition 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 The dragon is a myth.
4 : a popular belief that is not true It's just a myth that money can buy happiness.
Learn More about myth
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See words that rhyme with myth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for myth Spanish Central: Translation of myth Nglish: Translation of myth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of myth for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about myth
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