Definition

To take away the mythical or mysterious parts of something to reveal its true meaning or nature.

Example

The author aimed to demythologize the ancient stories to show their real significance.

Tense Forms

Conversation

I read this interesting article about how we can demythologize old stories.

Oh really? That sounds fascinating! What did they say?

They suggested that by removing the mythical elements, we can find deeper meanings in them.

That makes sense; sometimes the myths can distract us from the real messages.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Demythologize → It is formed from "de-" (meaning down from or away) and "mythologize" (from Greek "mythos" meaning myth and "logize" meaning to speak or reason). The word means to remove the mythological elements from a story or belief, essentially taking it away from myth.

Memory Tip

Think of 'removing' ('de-') the 'myth' ('mythos') from a story — that's what demythologize means.

Visually Confused Words