mythbuster
Folklore fact-checker
A mythbuster is someone who debunks widely believed falsehoods or misconceptions: The article's mythbuster section addressed common nutrition claims.
The term gained currency from the television show of the same name, where hosts tested popular beliefs through experiments.
Now used broadly for anyone who exposes false assumptions or urban legends.
- Discovery ChannelCable network featuring documentaries
- crash test dummyImpact simulation figure
- explosionViolent burst of energy
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
special effects · high-speed camera · replicate · stunt · workshop · duct tape · scale model · scientific method
One who doubts claims
- investigatorOne who examines evidence
- fact-checkerOne who confirms accuracy
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- urban legendUnverified viral story
misconception · disproven · evidence · critical thinking · verification · folklore · old wives tale · pseudoscience
Systematic investigation procedure
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- testingExamining to evaluate
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- variablesChangeable elements in equations
control group · data · methodology · empirical · observation · peer review · falsification · scientific method
Unverified traditional tale
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
ritual · belief system · ancestral · storytelling · custom · old wives tale · proverb · tradition
Adam Savage
- Discovery ChannelCable network featuring documentaries
- crash test dummyImpact simulation figure
- explosionViolent burst of energy
experiment · special effects · high-speed camera · replicate · stunt · workshop · duct tape · scale model · scientific method · ratings
skeptic
One who doubts claims
- investigatorOne who examines evidence
- fact-checkerOne who confirms accuracy
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
urban legend · misconception · disproven · evidence · critical thinking · verification · folklore · old wives tale · pseudoscience · rumor
experiment
Systematic investigation procedure
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- testingExamining to evaluate
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
variables · control group · data · methodology · empirical · observation · peer review · falsification · scientific method · laboratory
legend
Unverified traditional tale
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
taboo · ritual · belief system · ancestral · storytelling · custom · old wives tale · proverb · tradition · indigenous knowledge
mythbustermythmaker
Inventor of legends
fabulist · propagandist · conspiracy theorist · disinformation agent · hoaxer