misconception

noun mis·con·cep·tion \ ˌmis-kən-ˈsep-shən \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of misconception

plural misconceptions

: a wrong or inaccurate idea or conception

a common/popular misconception

There's this misconception that you get famous and everything is perfect.
—Chris Daughtry

The new name, along with more stringent criteria for diagnosing the disorder, represents an attempt to clear up misconceptions about the disorder and to have it taken more seriously by psychiatrists as well as the courts.
—Janny Scott

Many gardeners are under the misconception [=have the mistaken idea] that bamboos grow only in mild climates.
—Nan Sterman

… artists, writers, and musicians who labor under the misconception that it's possible to come up with something new under the sun …
—Simon Reynolds

See misconception defined for English-language learners

See misconception defined for kids

Recent Examples of misconception from the Web

Instagram also cleared up some misconceptions today.

— ashley carman, The Verge, "This is how Instagram’s algorithm populates your feed," 1 June 2018
The Rebel While activists in the ’60s battled the pernicious misconception that gay men were depraved perverts, John Waters fell in love with it.

— New York Times, "Gaysploitation Upends the Stereotypes That Make Us Wince," 1 June 2018
As long as misconceptions regarding audits exist, confrontations with angry investors and lawmakers seem likely.

— The Economist, "What is an audit for?," 26 May 2018
Mayberry then brings up the misconceptions people have about big-name producers.

— gab ginsberg, Billboard, "CHVRCHES Don't Have All the Answers, But They've Found a Map With 'Love Is Dead'," 25 May 2018
There’s a lot of the misconception that all our dogs are pit-bull mixes.

— kate santich, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hotel's new Dog In Residence program looks to boost adoption," 24 May 2018
Instead, there remains a bit of a misconception that all of modern erotica is somehow similar to Fifty Shades, with female submissives being the name of the game.

— refinery29.com, "21 Steamy Erotic Stories Written By Women — & Why They’re Important," 18 May 2018
When Williams took his own life in August 2014, the misconceptions continued.

— eric johnson, Recode, "The NYT’s Dave Itzkoff explains what people get wrong about Robin Williams’ life — and his death," 17 May 2018
Technology is often perceived or believed to be objective and unbiased, so being wrongly categorized by an algorithm would emphasize the misconception that a transgender identity is inauthentic.

— foad hamidi, Scientific American, "Can Gender Be Computed?," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misconception.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.