Antonyms for myth


Grammar : Noun
Spell : mith
Phonetic Transcription : mɪθ


Definition of myth

Origin :
  • 1830, from French Mythe (1818) and directly from Modern Latin mythus, from Greek mythos "speech, thought, story, myth, anything delivered by word of mouth," of unknown origin.
  • Myths are "stories about divine beings, generally arranged in a coherent system; they are revered as true and sacred; they are endorsed by rulers and priests; and closely linked to religion. Once this link is broken, and the actors in the story are not regarded as gods but as human heroes, giants or fairies, it is no longer a myth but a folktale. Where the central actor is divine but the story is trivial ... the result is religious legend, not myth." [J. Simpson & S. Roud, "Dictionary of English Folklore," Oxford, 2000, p.254]
  • General sense of "untrue story, rumor" is from 1840.
  • noun fictitious story, often ancient
Example sentences :
  • All this seemed very plausible and interesting, but it is undoubtedly a myth.
  • Extract from : « English Villages » by P. H. Ditchfield
  • Then Ralph whispered, "We know it was only a myth, don't we?"
  • Extract from : « Classic Myths » by Mary Catherine Judd
  • That makes me think, Charlie, of a myth there is about the first anemones.
  • Extract from : « Classic Myths » by Mary Catherine Judd
  • The story should follow, if possible, a tale or lesson on the subject of the myth.
  • Extract from : « Classic Myths » by Mary Catherine Judd
  • My mother's kind god was a myth and a joke, with no power here one way or the other.
  • Extract from : « The Harbor » by Ernest Poole
  • After all, might it not be a literary hoax, we thought, and might not this Khalid be a myth.
  • Extract from : « The Book of Khalid » by Ameen Rihani
  • Their myth borrowed from the PhÅ“nicians, the Egyptians, and the Romans, from either of the two.
  • Extract from : « The Book of Khalid » by Ameen Rihani
  • The myth of the Phaedo is of the same type, but it is more cosmological, and also more poetical.
  • Extract from : « Gorgias » by Plato
  • The myth of the Republic is more subtle and also more consistent than either of the two others.
  • Extract from : « Gorgias » by Plato
  • Enough of the myth, which may show us two errors of which we were guilty in our account of the king.
  • Extract from : « Statesman » by Plato

Synonyms for myth

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019