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mythification

mythification

9.1
To make a person or place seem like a legend
  • noun
  • /ˌmɪθɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
translation icon : mitificación
  • The film's focus on the mythification of the historical figure created a narrative that was both captivating and misleading.

Examples

  • To the contrary, they dispute history and mythification through their implication of past time in terms of cause and effect; their narratives, of course, shape the effect and imply a certain cause; and through absence at the level of discourse.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The mythification of ancient heroes often leads people to believe in exaggerated stories about their deeds.

  • Their social and cultural world was what they longed for, idealizing it to the point of mythification.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Perhaps we have some insight into the process of mythification at work here, and one is bound to query Ewuare's status merely as number twelve in the dynastic list.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Why is it that a movement that could have successfully challenged the government by focusing on its failures and formulating concrete alternatives consumed itself in the mythification of colonial history?

    Academic text (1998)
  • No journal seemed at the time so committed to the punctual rupture of present and past, or to its clarity, as did October; the present figured in and as theoretical knowledge was pitted precisely against the mythification of the past and the pitfalls of the future.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The mythification of colonialism has resulted in an attitude that thrives on a form of cultural revenge focused on mapping Algeria's history onto a mythical past achievable through an erasure of the present.

    Academic text (1998)
  • In popular culture, the mythification of legendary figures can overshadow their real accomplishments and flaws.

Synonyms

glorification
vsmythification
3 6.8

Making something seem better than it really is

goes further by turning someone into a symbolic or legendary figure
mythmaking
vsmythification
1 7.0

Creating and sharing stories people accept as true to shape what they think

focuses specifically on making someone or something seem legendary or symbolic
romanticization
vsmythification
  • US
1 8.1

Making something look nicer or more special than it really is

instead makes someone appear symbolic or part of a larger legend
fictionalization
vsmythification
1 7.7

A story that turns real people or events into made-up ones

uses real portrayal to give someone legendary or symbolic status rather than fictionalize
mythologization
vsmythification
  • Formal
9.8

To make a story, person, or event seem like a legend

is the general process of making someone appear legendary or symbolic
mythopoiesis
vsmythification
  • Literature
9.9

Making new myths for books or films

is broader, applying to making people seem legendary rather than just inventing tales
heroization
vsmythification
  • Jargon
8.7

Making someone seem like a brave, admired person in stories or public life

casts someone as legendary or symbolic, not only as admirable
monumentalization
vsmythification
9.9

Making a person, event, or idea seem very important so people remember it

raises someone to symbolic or legendary status, not only to importance
glamourization
vsmythification
  • UK
7.5

Making something look more attractive than it really is

aims higher by transforming appearance into lasting legendary symbolism
figuration
vsmythification
7.9

Showing an idea using pictures or symbols in art and writing

focuses on making someone seem legendary or part of a wider symbol system
symbolizing
vsmythification
  • US
4.9

The act of using a sign to show an idea, feeling, or belief

is the broader act of making someone seem legendary rather than just symbolic

How Legendary

apotheosis
4 9.9
deification
2 9.5
mythification
9.1
romanticization
  • US
1 8.1
promotion
124 3.2

Surface Forms

mythification singular

Morphology

mythification = mythify (transparent) = myth + ify + ation

The word is formed by the verb 'mythify' (myth + -ify) with the nominalizing suffix '-ation', so the process meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

The word mythification comes from myth, from an old Greek word meaning 'story', and the ending -fication which means 'making', like in fiction. So mythification is the act of 'making' someone or something into a myth or legend, turning real people or events into larger-than-life stories.