OLD WIVES' TALES Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

old wives' tales

noun

plural of old wives' tale

as in errors

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for old wives' tales

Noun

These errors of commission are compounded by errors of omission.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Mecklenburg County, which administers the SNAP program locally, is working to reduce its number of payment errors Cox said, including increasing staff training and case reviews.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of errors

Noun

The rise of Black power influenced Chicano activism, and many Mexican Americans increasingly shed illusions that they could be seen as white, at least legally so, and rejected assimilationist impulses.

— Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
Neither of them, however, had any illusions about his prospects.

— Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Definition of illusions

Noun

Dafoe’s Thomas Wake is the film’s Proteus figure, a salty old lighthouse keeper who speaks like someone out of ancient myth, dispensing prophecies and superstitions.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026
These are the words of Argentina President Javier Milei who was busy explaining his superstitions to a local radio show after watching his nation make the World Cup final.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Definition of superstitions

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.

Browse Nearby Words

old wives' tale

old wives' tales

old-world

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Old wives' tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20wives%27%20tales. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of old wives' tales

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

salvo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes