as in delusion
a false idea or belief
the common misbelief that the Great Wall of China is visible from the moon
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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
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An overly tired new mother shared how postpartum delusion left her confusing her newborn with her pet in a viral video.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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On the other hand, engaging in serious talk about a delusion and intensifying the delusion ought to be a no-go for the AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Getting Started With Beginning Meditation Steps Plenty of obstacles and myths abound that can keep you from taking the first step to meditate.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Inadequate medical advice can lead to injury, burnout or premature retirement from sports, and the persistent myth that pregnancy is an athletic liability can discourage sponsorships and media coverage.—
Starre Vartan,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Due to an editing error, a prior version of this report misstated what match Djokovic is playing Friday.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Sabalenka ended the match with 43 winners compared to 27 errors; Pegula was 21 for 15.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement The difference in hurricane activity between the two oceans is actually more climatological illusion than fact.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Torches held by ancient hands would have given the tableau the illusion of movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Although the tide is turning (subscription required), there’s still a misconception that the trades are low-paying, dead-end jobs.—
Andrew Schaap,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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What’s more in overturning Thompson’s theory, the team also debunked another widespread misconception.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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It’s still treated as superstition and ritual — not quite an outside take, but not an inside one either.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Sep. 2025
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This may be due to long-standing superstitions linking them with bad luck or witchcraft.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbelief. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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