as in error
a false idea or belief
the belief that going outside with wet hair will cause you to catch cold is just an old wives' tale
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Recent Examples of old wives' tale
Warm milk The long-standing tradition of drinking a glass of warm milk before bed isn't just an old wives' tale.
—
Lauren Manaker,
SELF,
26 Nov. 2025
Ольга Симонова/iStock / Getty Images Plus Coffee in the garden isn't just an old wives' tale.
—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Lauren Manaker,
SELF,
26 Nov. 2025
Ольга Симонова/iStock / Getty Images Plus Coffee in the garden isn't just an old wives' tale.
—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old wives' tale
Noun
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With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Old wives' tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20wives%27%20tale. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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