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to mythologize

to mythologize

3 7.7
To say something was a legend or better than it really was by ignoring faults
  • verb
  • /mɪˈθɑlədʒaɪz/
translation icon : mitologizar
  • As time passed, the events of the battle were mythologized, making the soldiers seem invincible.
  • become mythologized

OK, so those three things were compiled into one mythologized origin story.

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Examples

  • Indeed, across various sports, many superstitious practices have become so mythologized by players that their subsequent motivational efficacy leads to their ultimate legitimization.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The story of why and how you left Apple, which is quickly becoming mythologized, isn't true.

  • But maybe it's because we mythologize what he might have done.

  • But I think I think politicians have to self mythologize and then they do and then it's a problem.

  • And what Jackie wants is a mythologized version of her husband, not just his administration, but of their marriage.

  • OK, so those three things were compiled into one mythologized origin story.

  • What provokes this tendency to mythologize?

    Academic text (1995)
  • Really, the most obvious thing was trying to approach a man's life that has been mythologized.

    Blog text (15)
  • We have mythologized it.

  • Even history has been mythologized to conform; the past has been refashioned to subvert present goals.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

to exaggerate
vsto mythologize
258 3.1

To say something is larger, better, or worse than it really is

turns that exaggeration into legendary storytelling and lasting fame
to inflate
vsto mythologize
47 4.2

To make something seem more important or bigger than it really is

changes mere inflation into legendary status through storytelling and idealization
to romanticize
vsto mythologize
  • US
23 6.7

Make something seem more attractive and ideal than it really is

tends to make things legendary rather than just emotionally attractive
to idealize
vsto mythologize
14 5.8

To think someone or something is more perfect than they really are

casts as legendary by exaggeration rather than only as perfect
to glamorize
vsto mythologize
  • US
12 5.8

To make someone or something look more attractive and exciting than they really are

focuses on legendary status and timeless fame rather than surface attractiveness
to overinflate
vsto mythologize
1 5.1

Make something seem much bigger or more important than it is

goes beyond mere overstatement to create lasting legendary image
to glamourize
vsto mythologize
  • UK
1 6.3

Make something seem more attractive than it really is

emphasizes legendary stature and lore instead of mere style
to hyperbolize
vsto mythologize
  • US
1 7.9

To make something seem much bigger or more important than it really is

uses exaggeration to build a lasting legendary image rather than mere overstatement
to mythicize
vsto mythologize
9.9

To make someone or something seem larger and more special than they really were

is the same action expressed as turning something into a legend
to mythify
vsto mythologize
8.9

To make someone seem like a hero by praising them too much

expresses the same legendary making rather than other types of praise
to apotheosize
vsto mythologize
  • Literature
9.9

To make someone seem like a god or without faults

raises to legendary status rather than making them a god
to heroize
vsto mythologize
7.9

To make someone seem very brave and admired

celebrates as legendary more broadly, not only as a heroic figure

Antonyms

to demythologize
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To remove myth and magic from stories and texts to show their real history

How Mythical

to deify
7 8.4
to mythologize
3 7.7
to idealize
14 5.8
to retell
11 2.8

Surface Forms

mythologize infinitive
mythologized past participle
mythologizing present participle
mythologizes third person singular

Morphology

mythologize = mythology (semi-transparent) = myth + ology + ize

Adding -ize to mythology is a standard way to form a verb meaning 'to make into' or 'to treat as' mythology.

Etymology

Mythologize comes from an old Greek word myth- ('story') and the ending -ize ('to make'). It's like the words myth and mythology, and it means to turn a person or event into a legend or make it seem greater than it was.