Synonyms of mythical

mythical

adjective

ˈmi-thi-kəl 

variants or mythic

1

as in legendary

based on, described in, or being a myth

for years the Spanish conquistadors searched for the mythical El Dorado, a place of unimaginable riches

Synonyms & Similar Words

• legendary
• fabled
• mythological
• famed
• fictional
• fictitious
• fabulous
• imaginary
• storied
• chimerical
• invented
• fanciful
• romanticized
• make-believe
• unreal
• allegorical
• imagined
• fantastic
• fabricated
• made-up
• pretend
• semilegendary

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• actual
• real
• historical
• real-world
• existent
• true
• factual
• confirmed
• genuine
• authentic
• established
• real-life
• bona fide
• proven
• validated
• substantiated
• authenticated
• attested
• verified

2

as in imaginary

not real and existing only in the imagination

the mythical unicorn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imaginary
• fictional
• fictitious
• fantasied
• imagined
• imaginal
• ideal
• phantom
• invented
• unreal
• fanciful
• chimerical
• legendary
• make-believe
• phantasmal
• fantastic
• notional
• phantasmic
• theoretical
• fabled
• visionary
• romantic
• fabulous
• hypothetical
• made-up
• pretend
• unlikely
• abstract
• unbelievable
• illusory
• deceptive
• fictive
• hallucinatory
• phantasmagoric
• unconvincing
• envisioned
• delusive
• nonexistent
• visualized
• delusional
• conceived
• pictured
• envisaged
• concocted
• fabricated
• daydreamlike
• feigned
• inexistent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• actual
• real
• true
• existing
• genuine
• authentic
• existent
• factual
• realistic
• physical
• verifiable
• substantial
• convincing
• solid
• believable
• corporeal
• tangible
• material
• palpable
• verified

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mythical distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mythical are apocryphal, fabulous, fictitious, and legendary. While all these words mean "having the nature of something imagined or invented," mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

When is apocryphal a more appropriate choice than mythical?

In some situations, the words apocryphal and mythical are roughly equivalent. However, apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

In what contexts can fabulous take the place of mythical?

While in some cases nearly identical to mythical, fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

When might fictitious be a better fit than mythical?

While the synonyms fictitious and mythical are close in meaning, fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

When can legendary be used instead of mythical?

The words legendary and mythical can be used in similar contexts, but legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mythical

Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026

Komodo dragons were nearly mythical creatures until the first detailed field study was conducted by Walter Auffenberg in the late 1960s. —Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026

For decades, the idea of a sub-two-hour marathon occupied a near-mythical place in endurance sport. —New Atlas, 5 May 2026

The feat was the culmination of a shift—or, perhaps more aptly, a total disruption—in marathoning over the past few years, in which the eventual breaking of the mythical two-hour mark went from an impossibility to a guarantee. —Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 1 May 2026