mythos

noun

my·​thos ˈmi-ˌthōs 

-ˌthäs

plural mythoi ˈmi-ˌthȯi 

1

a

: myth sense 1a

b

: mythology sense 2a

2

: a pattern of beliefs expressing often symbolically the characteristic or prevalent attitudes in a group or culture

3

: theme, plot

the starving artist mythos

Synonyms

• fable
• legend
• myth

Examples of mythos in a Sentence

according to one creation mythos, humans sprang from the forehead of a god

the Superman mythos has long since become ingrained in popular American culture

Recent Examples on the Web

What is not included here in that mythos — strangely for a show committed wisely to the construction of a character and the artists who shepherded it — is the decades-old debate over who created Spider-Man. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025

O’Toole’s role as Martha Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive mother, on Smallville wasn’t her first role in the Superman mythos. —Rachel Flynn, People.com, 11 May 2025

This is the most thematically logical order to engage with the Beatles that allows both the cold, hard facts of the band to intermingle with the fantasy and mythos of the music. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025

This is the mythos of the city, the Frank Sinatra version that plays at the stadium after the ninth-inning walk-off home run. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1a