as in delusion
a false idea or belief
the common misbelief that the Great Wall of China is visible from the moon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of misbelief
Age Does Not Equate to a Rheumatic Disease Diagnosis
While a lot of rheumatic conditions are related to age, there is another misbelief that these conditions mostly affect older people and, as a result, are a product of getting older.
—
Chloe Castleberry,
Flow Space,
7 July 2025
Her Daddy discourse is the misbelief that Harris (or any woman running for office) inherently has women’s votes in the bag and, thus, that candidate should spend their time on voters who are more on the fence.
—
Brea Baker,
refinery29.com,
9 Oct. 2024
Combating misbelief is much more complicated—and politically and ethically fraught—than reducing the spread of explicitly false content.
—
Jennifer Allen,
Scientific American,
30 Sep. 2024
Other misbeliefs and myths circulate: Some families believe that if a mother eats eggs during pregnancy that can bring on autism, and that boys typically miss developmental milestones so there shouldn't be a need to consult a physician in such cases.
—
Scovian Lillian,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2024
Wolter says the project has started to engage with human populations near vulture colonies, roosting sites and popular foraging areas, to educate communities on the benefits of the animal to local ecology, and dispel popular misbeliefs.
—
Gertrude Kitongo,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2024
One common misbelief heard when legislation is discussed is that gender-affirming medical interventions are provided immediately to any trans or nonbinary kid who walks into a gender clinic.
—
Helen Santoro,
CBS News,
27 June 2023
Chloe Castleberry,
Flow Space,
7 July 2025
Her Daddy discourse is the misbelief that Harris (or any woman running for office) inherently has women’s votes in the bag and, thus, that candidate should spend their time on voters who are more on the fence.
—
Brea Baker,
refinery29.com,
9 Oct. 2024
Combating misbelief is much more complicated—and politically and ethically fraught—than reducing the spread of explicitly false content.
—
Jennifer Allen,
Scientific American,
30 Sep. 2024
Other misbeliefs and myths circulate: Some families believe that if a mother eats eggs during pregnancy that can bring on autism, and that boys typically miss developmental milestones so there shouldn't be a need to consult a physician in such cases.
—
Scovian Lillian,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2024
Wolter says the project has started to engage with human populations near vulture colonies, roosting sites and popular foraging areas, to educate communities on the benefits of the animal to local ecology, and dispel popular misbeliefs.
—
Gertrude Kitongo,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2024
One common misbelief heard when legislation is discussed is that gender-affirming medical interventions are provided immediately to any trans or nonbinary kid who walks into a gender clinic.
—
Helen Santoro,
CBS News,
27 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbelief
Noun
-
By chance, Rhaena arrives at the Gullet on dragonback just in time to make the same hubristic mistake as her sister and her cousin, all suffering from the delusion that the war needs them.
-
Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition that is marked by a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression, mania and a milder form of mania called hypomania, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Noun
-
The piece’s name is also a nod to a Greek myth, in which the 50 daughters of King Danaos—the Danaïdes—were ordered to kill their husbands on their wedding night.
-
Reinventing the Batman myth for a new generation of fans, Absolute Batman reimagines the Dark Knight as a working-class hero up against impossible odds on a mission to prove that even in an era of wealth, power and corruption, one good person can change the world.
Noun
-
With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
-
Michael Conforto, Alex Bregman and Ian Happ had RBI hits in the sixth, when the Cubs’ runs were unearned thanks to a pair of errors.
Noun
-
Cosm has really cut its teeth on a lot of live sports and concert films, with the dome shape and stadium seating designed to give the illusion of being on the field or in the front row.
-
Unfortunately, says Bradley Elliott, a researcher at the University of Westminster and trustee for the British Society for Research on Ageing, this is an illusion.
Noun
-
Attorney Al Watkins, who represented the McCloskeys during the early stages of the controversy, said one of the biggest misconceptions about the case is what triggered the confrontation in the first place.
-
One of the misconceptions about work from home or hybrid is that the entire workforce can avail itself with such arrangements.
Cite this Entry
“Misbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbelief. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
