mythomania

[ mith-uh-mey-nee-uh ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. lying or exaggerating to an abnormal degree.

mythomania

/ ˌmɪθəʊˈmeɪnɪˌæk; ˌmɪθəʊˈmeɪnɪə /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• mythomaniac, nounadjective

Other Words From

• myth·o·ma·ni·ac [mith-, uh, -, mey, -nee-ak], noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mythomania¹

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

Example Sentences

You use the word “mythomania” several times in the book.

From Los Angeles Times

All of these accounts stand as necessary supplements to Dahl’s lyrical but selectively truthful autobiographical writing; Dennison notes his tendency toward “mythomania.”

From New York Times

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

From Literature

Officers were quoted by local media as describing him as a “dangerous person with traces of mythomania”.

From The Guardian

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

From The New Yorker