myths

plural of myth
1
as in legends
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in mythologies
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 myths While most technology leaders have done their fair share to dispel these myths in favor of AI’s transformative potential, concerns of misinformation, security vulnerabilities and unpredictability still hum beneath the unstoppable swell of AI innovation. Monish Darda, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Without clear evidence, myths persist — and athletes hesitate. Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 On the long list of commonplace myths surrounding enterprise networking, the general public sometimes perceives that the work only fits extroverts developing purely transactional bonds. Nia Bowers, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025 Writers and rulers across Europe and the Americas have looked back to Virgil’s epic as a model for their own founding myths, in the construction of new nations, new colonies, new empires. Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025 That’s one of the most damaging myths out there. Larry Stansbury, Essence, 3 Sep. 2025 The rippling fallout of war on families has long been fertile ground for cinema — trauma is calcified while secrets from the past become myths, either perpetuated long enough to solidify into fact or exposed as falsehoods that cause entire identities to be questioned. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025 Many social media users criticized Who for spreading lesbophobic myths and furthering the harmful idea that lesbianism is a phase that could end, even if it was said in jest. Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 28 Aug. 2025 In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for myths
Noun
  • Three obvious choices to assist with the design are Eddie Sotto, Tom Morris and Jim Shull who are all Imagineering legends with decades of experience.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Sports legends, including Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, and Randy Moss, attended the game, cheering exuberantly after UNC took a 7-0 lead with an opening drive touchdown.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Drawing inspiration from Norse and other mythologies, the trees of Middle-earth in the Lord of the Rings series are sacred beings, whose treatment stands as a moral litmus test.
    Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Holocaust education is a necessary window into how modern fascism and white supremacy construct dangerous national mythologies to justify war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
    Sahar Mustafah August 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Not even Trump can have any illusions now.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Eclipses bring truth to the surface, so don’t cling to illusions.
    Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Modern horror is at the forefront of political movements and are the fables of our time.
    American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Allusions to myths, fables, and riffs on common idioms abound, many of them evocative and quite funny.
    Lora Kelley, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Often, mental health experts see a change in delusions when new technologies are developed.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • For an in-depth look at AI psychosis and especially the co-creation of delusions via human-AI collaboration, see my recent analysis at the link here.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Alongside this darkness, Sage shares the traditions of her people that save her life, braiding her personal story together with Cree stories, and with the ceremonies that have carried her through times of need.
    Eliana Ramage September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Cultural influences can play a role, too, and some numbers are considered lucky or unlucky in different traditions.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Other discipline errors snowballed after that.
    Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Alcaraz finished with 30 unforced errors, the same total as his opponent.
    Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Astros won, which will test one of Espada’s season-long superstitions.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • This may be due to long-standing superstitions linking them with bad luck or witchcraft.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Myths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/myths. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on myths

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!