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
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.
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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
Jenkins sees the same misbelief.
—Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2020
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
His research focuses on the psychology of human misbelief, particularly false beliefs people hold about themselves.
—Carmen Sanchez, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbelief
Noun
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The story is a grim reminder that every narcissist needs their own Echo, a loyal admirer who reinforces their delusions and self-importance.—
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In fact, on several prior occasions, Lam had dealt with hallucinations and delusions after not taking her medications.—
Noun
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Entrepreneurship Brings Freedom One myth is that entrepreneurship brings freedom.—
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The myth that breast pain can't be a sign of cancer is persistent.—
Noun
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Finally, a language model refines output by correcting errors and aligning predictions with linguistic probabilities, akin to an autocorrect for the brain.—
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And that’s before factoring in an error in the data published on DOGE’s website that mislabels a contract as $8 billion, which was later corrected in the federal database to only be $8 million.—
Noun
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Again and again, the fantasies that fueled Trump’s candidacy are colliding with the reality of his presidency, and the result is already dispelling the illusions of many who advocated for him.—
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The panic party was a dangerous gamble designed to support the illusion that a ship had been abandoned.—
Noun
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While virtually everyone recognizes the environmental and social benefits of thrifting, certain barriers and misconceptions prevail, hindering the industry’s global adoption.—
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This is a common misconception, but no, most people will not want to wear more than one pair of socks while hiking.—
Noun
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Heidi Klum Carries Around Baby Teeth for Good Luck, Plus More Wacky Celebrity Superstitions Lorre’s chair superstition seems to have served him well, as the Emmy winner has created such beloved and long-running shows as Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly and Mom.—
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Lunar New Year, typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries, has a similar superstition.—
Cite this Entry
“Misbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbelief. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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