mythical

adjective

ˈmi-thi-kəl How to pronounce mythical (audio)
variants or mythic
Definition of mythicalnext
1
as in legendary
based on, described in, or being a myth for years the Spanish conquistadors searched for the mythical El Dorado, a place of unimaginable riches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination the mythical unicorn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mythical distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of mythical are apocryphal, fabulous, fictitious, and legendary. While all these words mean "having the nature of something imagined or invented," mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

When is apocryphal a more appropriate choice than mythical?

In some situations, the words apocryphal and mythical are roughly equivalent. However, apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

In what contexts can fabulous take the place of mythical?

While in some cases nearly identical to mythical, fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

When might fictitious be a better fit than mythical?

While the synonyms fictitious and mythical are close in meaning, fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

When can legendary be used instead of mythical?

The words legendary and mythical can be used in similar contexts, but legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mythical Hiking in Puerto Rico’s national rainforest is a must, especially for snagging a mythical waterfall #nofilter photo. —Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2026 Visit our website To illustrate this, Glaucon told the story of the Ring of Gyges—a mythical magical ring that renders the wearer invisible, much like the One Ring of power in the Lord of the Rings. —Paul Rosenzweig, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026 Indeed, Orient Express is perhaps the most mythic name in the travel world. —Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026 What begins as paranormal record-keeping gradually reveals a mythic tale centered on people who, fittingly, were mostly writers. —Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mythical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mythical
  1. legendary
  2. imaginary
  3. fabled
  4. fictional
  5. fictitious
  6. imagined
  7. imaginal
Adjective
  • On His Own Terms Playing one of fiction’s most iconic characters could feel daunting, especially with so many legendary portrayals already in the cultural consciousness.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Pat Cooligan owns multiple Renzo Gracie academies, which are named after his mentor and master instructor, one of the many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the legendary Gracie family.
    — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of legendary
Adjective
  • Your brain treats heartbreak like a physical injury That crushing feeling in your chest isn’t imaginary.
    — Kyra Dahring, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Lugers tilt to an imaginary track.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • Even fabled Athens was only briefly a democracy, and that even then every third person was enslaved.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
  • In a time where fabled bottles are traded and shelved as trophies, Soo Hoo’s decision to open this one is radical.
    — Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of fabled
Adjective
  • The difference between documentary approaches and fictional approaches to a musical figure — at heart, there’s no difference at all.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
  • But in a first for Marvel, Abdul-Mateen II was not there as himself, but rather in character as Simon Williams to discuss the fictional Wonder Man movie that is central to season one of the Disney+ show.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • Comulate also invented a fictitious insurance agent named Jordan Bates, who purported to work for PBC and who interacted with Applied Systems salespeople through email (with a Phoenix Benefits email domain) to create a customer account on Applied’s Epic.
    — John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • The experiments together suggest that Kanzi was able to distinguish an imagined scenario from the present reality and keep both in mind.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
  • So, the transactional world is constantly pushing us out of the present and redirecting us to an imagined future.
    — Bill Burnett, Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of imagined
Adjective
  • Peter [Merry] likes to use is that, when a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly, new ‘imaginal cells’ emerge.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
  • With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
    — Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Definition of imaginal

Browse Nearby Words

myth
mythical
mythoi
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mythical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mythical. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mythical

Nglish: Translation of mythical for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?
See More

Popular

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All