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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For an in-depth look at AI psychosis and especially the co-creation of delusions via human-AI collaboration, see my recent analysis at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
If someone is already at risk of paranoia or delusions, AI may validate their thoughts in a way that intensifies their beliefs.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Cortège Out on the cricket fields at The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, an experiential open-air event is bringing together dance, sound, light, puppetry, costume, myth, and robotic canines.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The myth of Chinese tunnels has circulated for more than a century.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An aircraft flying without GPS can accumulate miles of error in just hours.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
-
FanDuel acknowledged the error in the way the game score was displayed and pinned it on a third-party provider.—
Contessa Brewer,Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of course, such high-tech innovations, providing the illusion of a social environment, have both pluses and minuses.—
Alan Lightman
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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Shatter your illusions of love?—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
11 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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Choosing who carries the card out can be rooted in superstition, some secret joke or, simply, the closest player to the dugout steps.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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The legend evokes strong superstitions among some, particularly commercial fisherman.—
Bjorn Dihle,
Outdoor Life,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbelief. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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