urban myths
Modern false stories
Urban myths are stories presented as true that circulate widely despite being false or unverifiable.
They typically involve bizarre, horrifying, or humorous incidents that supposedly happened to "a friend of a friend": The urban myth about alligators in the sewers has been around for decades.
Unlike folklore, urban myths are set in contemporary life and often carry implicit warnings or moral lessons.
Also called urban legends.
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- rumorsUnconfirmed circulating stories
- friend of a friendContact through shared connection
- haunted placesLocations with spectral presences
- talesSpoken or written narratives
too good to be true · folklore · superstition · beliefs · cryptids · apocryphal · Snopes · ghost stories · bunyip · slender man · misconceptions · fables · bloody · stranger · cursed objects · legends · hitchhiker · sewers
- urban folklorelocal folklore, community stories
- Urban Literaturecity life, cityscapes, cityscape, fictional cities, Victorian London
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folk tale
- sacred legendsmiracle stories, hagiography, medieval legend, miraculous healings, miraculous cures
urban mythsempirical evidence
Proof from measurable observation
historical facts · hard evidence · eyewitness testimony · primary sources
urban mythshistorical record
Preserved account of past
official records · recorded history · archival records · primary sources · academic research
urban mythsofficial reports
Documented statements from authorities
encyclopedia entries · news reports · authoritative sources · press releases · academic publications
urban, myths, suburb, urbane, suburbs, suburbia, urbanity, suburbanite, urbanization