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
-
Other discipline errors snowballed after that.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025 -
Alcaraz finished with 30 unforced errors, the same total as his opponent.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The rippling fallout of war on families has long been fertile ground for cinema — trauma is calcified while secrets from the past become myths, either perpetuated long enough to solidify into fact or exposed as falsehoods that cause entire identities to be questioned.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Many social media users criticized Who for spreading lesbophobic myths and furthering the harmful idea that lesbianism is a phase that could end, even if it was said in jest.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Often, mental health experts see a change in delusions when new technologies are developed.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
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,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The creative team includes movement by Steven Hoggett, sets by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music and arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, and illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Small lights pointed at the audience also help to obscure what’s happening onstage, so guests can’t see beyond the illusions.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Astros won, which will test one of Espada’s season-long superstitions.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
This may be due to long-standing superstitions linking them with bad luck or witchcraft.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Old wives' tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20wives%27%20tales. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share