myth

noun

1
a
: a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon
creation myths
b
: parable, allegory
Moral responsibility is the motif of Plato's myths.
2
a
: a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone
especially : one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society
seduced by the American myth of individualism Orde Coombs
the utopian myth of a perfect society
b
: an unfounded or false notion
the myth of racial superiority
3
: a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence
the Superman myth
The unicorn is a myth.
4
: the whole body of myths
a student of Greek myth

Did you know?

Myth and Urban Myth

For a word so often applied to events or stories from long, long ago, myth has a remarkably recent history in the English language. The earliest evidence for the word is from 1830, well after the time when the events themselves are thought to have occurred (though it should be noted that the related words mythology and mythic are hundreds of years older – still not as old as Achilles, but not young, either!). One application of myth, however – in the phrase urban myth – is quite new. Curiously, an urban myth does not usually have anything to do with the city: it is simply “a story about an unusual event or occurrence that many people believe is true but that is not true.” An example would be the tale that Elvis Presley is still alive after spending decades in a witness protection program. The phrase urban myth has been used to describe such hoaxes since at least 1971.

Examples of myth in a Sentence

It's an enduring myth that money brings happiness. I don't believe the myths and legends about this forest. Contrary to popular myth, no monster lives in this lake.
Recent Examples on the Web The continued existence of these Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices only contributes to the persistence of the myth that the city has any substantial autonomy from the mainland. The Editors, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024 And, according to experts, the golden age of pensions is more myth than fact. Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for myth 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'myth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of myth was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near myth

Cite this Entry

“Myth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myth. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

myth

noun
1
: a story often describing the adventures of superhuman beings that attempts to describe the origin of a people's customs or beliefs or to explain mysterious events (as the changing of the seasons)
2
: a person or thing that exists only in the imagination
the dragon is a myth
3
: a popular belief that is false or unsupported

More from Merriam-Webster on myth

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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