mythology

play

noun my·thol·o·gy \ mi-ˈthä-lə-jē \

Definition of mythology

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 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 2a

defective mythologies that ignore masculine depth of feeling
—Robert Bly

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mythologer

play \-jər\ noun

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mythologist

play \-jist\ noun

See mythology defined for English-language learners

See mythology defined for kids

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 of mythology from the Web

The Indian setting, though, provides a good excuse to craft a tight mythology around stories surrounding a few Hindu gods and the ancient societies that were trying to protect those gods' secrets with cities hidden deep in forested mountains.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Uncharted: Lost Legacy," 17 Aug. 2017
The history we’re taught is often filtered through mythology that maximizes America’s exceptionality and trivializes its bloody past, even to the point of erasure.

— joshua adams, Longreads, "What Thomas Jefferson Taught Me About Charlottesville and America," 17 Aug. 2017
According to Greek mythology, Nisyros was once attached to Kos, but Poseidon split the isle in two when a battle between the Gods and the Titans broke out.

— imogen rowland, CNT, "Why Greece Is Best Seen by Boat," 13 Aug. 2017
Through football, a one-hour spectacle of peak human performance and perfect pageantry is transubstantiated in real time into the country’s sustaining mythology.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "No Country for Colin Kaepernick," 11 Aug. 2017
Before delving deeper into Inuit mythology, some definitions may be helpful.

— james deutsch, Smithsonian, "How the Narwhal Got Its Tusk," 7 Aug. 2017
Not only has Arcel stripped the King story of its thick mythology but he’s reduced the production to a standard Old West tale where the lone good guy must face off against the man in black.

— rick bentley, star-telegram, "‘The Dark Tower’ presents a pale take on King’s story," 3 Aug. 2017
For generations, propaganda about the Kim family was all that most North Koreans knew, a mythology of powerful but tender-hearted rulers that still suffuses everything from children’s stories to TV shows.

— tim sullivan, The Seattle Times, "In North Korea, a generation gap grows behind the propaganda," 29 July 2017
With his partner Hugo Aasjord, Stroksnes plunges deep into the mythology, history, and culture of Norway’s northern seas.

— National Geographic, "The Strange Quest to Catch a Massive Greenland Shark," 23 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mythology

French or Late Latin; French mythologie, from Late Latin mythologia interpretation of myths, from Greek, legend, myth, from mythologein to relate myths, from mythos + logos speech — more at legend

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First Known Use: 1603

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