myth

B1
Pronunciation
/mɪθ/
Noun
5 definition(s)
1 Definition

A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god, a hero, the origin of the world or of a people, etc.

2 Definition

Such stories as a genre.

Example Sentences
  • Myth was the product of man's emotion and imagination, acted upon by his surroundings. (E. Clodd, Myths & Dreams (1885), 7, cited after OED)
3 Definition

A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality.

Example Sentences
  • Scientists debunk the myth that gum stays in the human stomach for seven years.
4 Definition

A person or thing held in excessive or quasi-religious awe or admiration based on popular legend

Example Sentences
  • Father Flanagan was legendary, his institution an American myth. (Tucson (Arizona) Citizen, 20 September 1979, 5A/3, cited after OED)
5 Definition

A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable.