mythology

noun

my·​thol·​o·​gy mi-ˈthä-lə-jē How to pronounce mythology (audio)
plural mythologies
1
: an allegorical narrative
2
: a body of myths: such as
a
: the myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people
b
: mythos sense 2
cold war mythology
3
: a branch of knowledge that deals with myth
4
: a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something : myth sense 2a
defective mythologies that ignore masculine depth of feelingRobert Bly
mythologer noun
mythologist noun

Examples of mythology in a Sentence

We have been studying ancient Greek mythology. We compared the two cultures' mythologies. There is a popular mythology that he discovered the cause of the disease by himself.
Recent Examples on the Web The Irish, like many cultures around the world, have long recognized the ephemeral mushroom as part of their folklore and mythology. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Some have their foundations in mythology and astrology, some in legend and folklore. Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024 More launch attempts would provide NASA with a much clearer sense of its timeline for the first moon landing of the Artemis program, named for Apollo’s sister in Greek mythology. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 But just what makes Io, named after a mortal woman in love with Zeus in Greek mythology, so fussy? Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 The ideas, also featured on various social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, include musings on natural phenomena, Black history and mythology, says his former girlfriend Darshell Smith, who is also the mother of his young son. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who rebelled in a war against Zeus. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Twins have appeared in culture after culture, in era after era, in religion, mythology and art, here as objects of veneration and divinity, there as something fearful, repugnant and disturbing, even worthy of being put to death. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 But even before this linguistic genesis, loyalty is a consistent theme in Greek mythology. Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mythology.' 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

Middle English methologie, mithologie "exposition of a myth, book of myths," borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French mythologie, borrowed from Late Latin mȳthologia (in Mythologiae, title of a myth compilation by Fulgentius, ca. 500), borrowed from Greek mȳthología "fiction, storytelling," from mŷthos "utterance, tale, myth" + -o- -o- + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mythology was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near mythology

Cite this Entry

“Mythology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mythology. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mythology

noun
my·​thol·​o·​gy mith-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce mythology (audio)
plural mythologies
1
: a collection of myths
especially : the myths dealing with the gods and heroes of a particular people
Greek mythology
2
: a branch of knowledge that deals with myths
mythological
ˌmith-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on mythology

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