mythology

noun

my·​thol·​o·​gy mi-ˈthä-lə-jē 

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 feeling …

—Robert Bly

mythologer

mi-ˈthä-lə-jər 

noun

mythologist

mi-ˈthä-lə-jist 

noun

Synonyms of mythology

• folklore
• tradition
• lore

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

The film is built around the mythology of the evil eye, a superstition that is prevalent not only in Greece but throughout the Balkans and the wider region, where blue-eyed individuals — a genetic rarity — were traditionally viewed with fear and suspicion. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025

Choppa toggles between vulnerability and bravado with ease, leaning into a mythology of transformation. —Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025

And while that's true, the show is also its own beast, deviating greatly from King's story by weaving in military intrigue, spycraft, and Native American mythology. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for mythology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Kids Definition

mythology

noun

my·​thol·​o·​gy mith-ˈäl-ə-jē 

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