# mythical

/ˈmɪθəkəɫ/ (US) · /mˈɪθɪkəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mythical
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. from ancient stories

adjective · CEFR B2

connected to or appearing in ancient myths and legends.

For teachers: relating to or characteristic of myths; existing only in traditional stories rather than history.

- The unicorn is a mythical creature that looks like a horse with a horn.
- The tapestry depicted various mythical beasts, including griffins and phoenixes, woven in vibrant silk threads that had survived for centuries.

### 2. not real or fabricated

adjective · CEFR B2

something that people talk about as if it is real, but it is actually made up or false.

For teachers: existing only in the imagination; fictitious or widely believed to exist despite a lack of evidence.

- The company promised a mythical bonus that no employee ever actually received.
- Economists warned that the projected growth was based on mythical figures that failed to account for the recent market downturn.

### 3. extremely rare

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal

so rare or hard to find that it almost seems like it does not exist.

For teachers: proverbially rare or difficult to locate; used to describe items or qualities that are seldom encountered in reality.

- Finding an affordable apartment in this city has become a mythical task.
- Collectors spent decades searching for the mythical first pressing of the record, which was rumoured to have been destroyed in a warehouse fire.

## Examples

- The unicorn is a mythical creature.
- The documentary explores whether the city of Atlantis was a real place or just a mythical location created by Plato.
- While the hero's journey is a common theme in mythical narratives, modern authors often subvert these ancient tropes to reflect contemporary social anxieties and psychological complexities.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.