myths

Definition of mythsnext
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

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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 She is revered in those regions, and oral tradition keeps her myths alive. Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026 One year before Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire published their compendium of Greek myths, Cicellis released her second work of fiction, The Way to Colonos, which ruthlessly dramatizes the limits of individual freedom and the agony of facing one’s powerlessness. Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026 Select Committee, which aimed to dispel myths and fake claims about the riot. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026 Exploration of these vast interiors would be a major theme in the origin myths and histories these nations adopted and still tell. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026 A lot of this comes down to a few myths that are passed down by neighbors, family, and well-meaning advice on the internet. Dr. Avishesh Neupane, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026 Throughout the show's 296 episodes, a pair of special effects experts and their staff work to prove or disprove the common myths that haunt our everyday lives. Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025 Across cultures and centuries, constellations have been used to explain myths, guide travelers, and inspire dreamers. Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2025 As political leaders have looked back at Revere’s story throughout American history, the myths created by Longfellow’s poem have popped up in other social movements. Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for myths
Noun
  • The advisory board will consist of up to two delegates from each club, including investors, cultural leaders and sports legends.
    Jessica Golden, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025
  • As Drag Race viewers know, Plasma is a Broadway baby through and through, a Gay White Way devotee whose humor and style draws on legends like Barbra Streisand and Bernadette Peters.
    Joe Lynch, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • What mattered to me is what the comet meant in Polynesian mythologies.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Evolutionary thinkers have long argued that humans evolved to notice snakes, which might explain why these creatures slither into a vast number of mythologies, from Quetzalcoatl in Mexico and Damballa in West Africa to celestial dragons in China.
    Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Yet the Administration’s 28-point plan for Ukraine and the NSS should end any illusions that this approach is working.
    Amanda Sloat, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
  • With Saturn conjunct Neptune in your seventh house, illusions fade and truth becomes unavoidable.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Geminis have a tendency to speak of fables to protect themselves or to make their lives seem more fulfilling.
    Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
  • His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
    Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Guiteau had childhood traumas and delusions of grandeur, but his desire to find purpose through public service is presented as at least partially earnest.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
  • But if reality is infused with consciousness, this does at least open up the possibility that mystical experiences might be genuine insights into the nature of reality rather than just strange psychological delusions.
    Big Think, Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Culturally, Shinto and Buddhist traditions emphasize respect for life and nature, which are deeply valued in Japan; in Nagano and Gifu prefectures, black bears are sometimes revered as mountain deities, researchers wrote in a paper this summer.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • There were extremely rich philosophical traditions in the non-Western world that your great books classes completely ignore.
    Big Think, Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Orlando dominated the home stretch, however, by capitalizing on a string of Celtics errors.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Tied again at 21, the Rattlers had three hitting errors down the stretch.
    Tim Meehan SD, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Read on to learn about some of the pre-pageant superstitions, rituals and traditions maintained by Miss USA contestants from across the country.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • How Superstitions Impact Modern Life and Pregnacy Pregnancy and childbirth are major life changes, and with that may come feelings of nervousness, excitement, even fear—and some of these feelings could present themselves as superstitions.
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Myths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/myths. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

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