Table of Contents
Definitions of Myth
- (noun) A story describing a worldview or the origin of natural, cultural, or social phenomena typically involving historical events, morality lessons, and supernatural beings.
- (noun) A false belief or half-truth that intentionally or unintentionally perpetuates norms or misinformation.
Examples of Myth
- Definition 1:
- Creation myths.
- Definition 2:
- According to some scholars: meritocracy
- Shaving makes a beard grow faster
Myth Pronunciation
Syllabification: myth
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /mith/
- British English – /mith/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /mɪθ/
- British English – /mɪθ/
Usage Note
- Plural: myths
Related Quotation
- “[A]lthough true equality of opportunity is probably not possible, the myth of meritocracy in America is itself harmful because its legitimation of inequalities of power and privilege rests on claims that are demonstrably false” (McNamee and Miller 2013:19).
Related Video
Additional Information
Related Terms
Reference
McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Cite the Definition of Myth
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “myth.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/myth/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
myth. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/myth/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “myth.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/myth/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“myth.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/myth/>.