Definition

1. Noun:
   • A traditional story, typically involving supernatural beings or events, that explains a natural or social phenomenon: A myth is a narrative that holds cultural significance, often detailing the origins of the world, customs, or the actions of gods and heroes.
   • A widely held but false belief or idea: A myth can also refer to a popular notion or story that is believed by many people but is not based in fact.

Usage and Examples

• As a traditional, explanatory story:
  • The myth of Persephone explains the changing seasons.
  • Many cultures have creation myths about how the world began.
• As a false or idealized conception:
  • The idea that you only use 10% of your brain is a complete myth.
  • He debunked the myth that money always leads to happiness.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "To be the stuff of myth": To be so extraordinary or legendary that it seems like a myth.
  • His heroic deeds became the stuff of myth.
• "To perpetuate a myth": To cause a false idea or story to continue to be believed.
  • The advertisement perpetuates the myth that this product causes instant weight loss.

Variants and Related Words

• Mythical (adj): Existing only in myths; imaginary or fictitious.
  • Dragons are mythical creatures.
• Mythology (n): A collection of myths, especially those belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.
  • She is an expert in Greek mythology.
• Mythologize (v): To convert into myth; to treat or interpret as a myth.
  • The media often mythologizes famous figures.

Synonyms

• Legend: A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated.
• Fable: A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.
• Folklore: The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.
• Fallacy: A mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument.

Antonyms

• Fact: A thing that is known or proved to be true.
• History: The study of past events, particularly in human affairs, based on factual evidence.
• Truth: The quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Explode a myth" or "bust a myth": To prove that a widely held belief is false.
  • The scientist's research helped to explode several common myths about nutrition.
• "Urban myth" or "urban legend": A modern story of obscure origin and with little or no supporting evidence that spreads spontaneously in varying forms and often has elements of humor, moralizing, or horror.
  • The story about alligators in the sewers is a classic urban myth.

Noun

1. a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people