mythomania

American

[mith-uh-mey-nee-uh] / ˌmɪθ əˈmeɪ ni ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

lying or exaggerating to an abnormal degree.

mythomania British

/ ˌmɪθəʊˈmeɪnɪˌæk, ˌmɪθəʊˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

psychiatry the tendency to lie, exaggerate, or relate incredible imaginary adventures as if they had really happened, occurring in some mental disorders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

mythomaniac noun

Etymology

Origin of mythomania

First recorded in 1905–10; mytho- + -mania

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What interests her is the manufactured drama of world-historical strongmen—their mannerisms, speech patterns, stagecraft, and mythomania.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 4, 2016

It is only one lamentable aftereffect of the ’60s that they cast their paisley mythomania on all related topics, not least upon the demographic journey of the baby boomers.

From Slate • May 1, 2016

Luttwak’s talent for mythomania relies on his sensual appetite for detail, but it also gestures towards something beyond it.

From The Guardian • Dec. 9, 2015

As for the mythomania: it seems that, basically, you just gotta love it.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 16, 2015

Jenny Flick suffers so badly from mythomania, she believes her own lies.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023