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
The other problematic element of this Call 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
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
Lilith Fair also helped contribute to the misbelief that music made by women had to be personal, had to be polite, and had to include an acoustic guitar.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 1 July 2022
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
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
Lilith Fair also helped contribute to the misbelief that music made by women had to be personal, had to be polite, and had to include an acoustic guitar.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 1 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbelief
Noun
-
Among these, schizophrenia, a complex mental health condition marked by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, stands out.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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Ultimately, there may be no way for Israel to escape its smart-bomb delusion—or another quagmire in the Middle East.—
Robert A. Pape,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Noun
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When the photographer Víctor Zea was a child living in Lima, Peru, he was taught an Inca myth of origin.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
21 June 2025
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Getting up to speed on the modern-day reality of actual EV usage and charging habits proves to be the antidote to overcoming the ever-fading yet persistent myth of range anxiety.—
Melanie Marshall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Many small business workers may not have digital access or face language barriers when missing paperwork or tech errors can result in automatic loss of coverage.—
Rhett Buttle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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That poll surveyed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, and has a weighted margin of error of 5.25 percent.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Noun
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The entire spectacle is, of course, a line-of-sight illusion — all three objects extremely far from each other.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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And if anyone was naive enough to imagine the U.S.-led tournament in 2026 would be free of such political baggage, then surely the increasingly public proximity of the Trump-Infantino relationship has dispelled those illusions.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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There's a misconception about many kids of Generation Alpha.—
Dia Gallo,
Parents,
17 June 2025
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This Money Mistake Keeps You Stuck One of the most popular misconceptions being debunked right now is the notion that working harder or for longer hours equates to making more money.—
Rachel Wells,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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These are pretty common superstitions that some people believe will bring them bad luck or misfortune.—
Tribune News Reports,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2025
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Born in Busan in 1982, Im is known for a practice that blends personal narrative with collective memory and explores the boundary between scientific fact and irrational beliefs such as superstition and religious faith.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbelief. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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