myth

Definition of mythnext
1
as in legend
a traditional but unfounded story that gives the reason for a current custom, belief, or fact of nature according to an ancient Greek myth, humans acquired fire from Prometheus, a Titan who had stolen it from heaven

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2
as in mythology
the body of customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings associated with a people, thing, or place over the years Davy Crockett evolved from an actual person to one of the great figures of American myth

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of myth For the past 40 years, Boise State football’s blue turf has drawn jokes and jabs, and there has been that urban myth about how all manner of birds were mistaking the field for a giant pond, resulting in their crashing-landing like a quarterback taking a big hit from a charging linebacker. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 June 2026 Other myths, such as how tanning your perineum can boost energy and balance hormones, or how eliminating seed oils from your diet will protect you from the sun, have also fed into Gen Z tanning culture. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026 But Steve Wade, a senior director of operations and procurement at ARS, debunks that myth. Alora Bopray, USA Today, 2 June 2026 Kin Coedel collaborated with Meti and Hijra women in Nepal in the creation of Between Reverence and Refusal, giving them recognition and exposing the paradox of a culture that venerates femininity in myth but doesn’t acknowledge those who embody it in everyday life. Vogue, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for myth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for myth
Noun
  • The Spurs legends — David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and more — were there, too.
    Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • Along with Kardashian, other major stars in the short film include Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and more soccer legends make cameos in the campaign.
    Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Copyright © 2026 by Sharon Blackie DR SHARON BLACKIE is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author, and a psychologist with a background in mythology and folklore.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • That mythology is why the powder-throwing is playful rather than aggressive.
    Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • The Office Romance actress stole the show at the Netflix film’s New York City premiere on June 2, dazzling in a naked illusion corset gown that covered her curves in dreamy blooms.
    Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 June 2026
  • Michael created the illusion of magic.
    Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 May 2026
  • Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Centered on Zhong Kui, the iconic demon-quelling deity of Chinese folklore, the family-friendly adventure follows a young human girl named Chujiu who accidentally enters the underworld.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 June 2026
  • Some of these approaches require meticulous scholarship and technical proficiency; others, an attunement to the invisible realms of feeling and folklore.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • Liaquat Ahamed has spent his career studying the moments when the world’s financial system breaks down — the bad bets, the collective delusions, and the geopolitical accidents that tip economies into catastrophe.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026
  • Among these delusions is the perennial faith that Iranians are potentially ardent converts to American-style freedom, rather than inheritors of an ancient civilization with a trajectory outlined by its own specific history.
    Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Culturally, populism spoke to a tension between the taste found in metropolitan centers and that of people in small towns across the country, pitting (for instance) classical opera and European masterwork exhibitions against folk traditions in art, dancing, and music.
    Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • This is quintessential Alberta—a place where Indigenous traditions breathe life into the land, where artistry ignites the soul, and where prehistoric treasures foster unwavering connections.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Santos, whose political rise and fall was characterized by a notorious trail of lies and falsehoods, claimed my story was riddled with errors.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 4 June 2026
  • The other Philadelphia runs scored on a throwing error by San Diego reliever Yuki Matsui on a pickoff attempt and a fielder's choice by Brandon Marsh.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Myth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/myth. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.

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