misbelief

[ mis-bi-leef ]

noun

1. erroneous belief; false opinion.
2. erroneous or unorthodox religious belief.

misbelief

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈliːf /

noun

1. a false or unorthodox belief

Word History and Origins

Origin of misbelief¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; mis- ¹, belief

Example Sentences

“There’s a misbelief that in order to teach early childhood math, you don’t really need to know math well,” Lauren Solarski, a consultant and coach with the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson, told the group of educators.

From Seattle Times

“There’s a misbelief that in order to teach early childhood math, you don’t really need to know math well,” Lauren Solarski, a consultant and coach with the Early Math Collaborative at Erikson, told the group of educators.

From Seattle Times

This misbelief likely contributed to the next two results from that survey: while majorities of liberals, moderates, and conservatives favored lesser sanctions for those convicted of non-violent crimes who posed little risk of reoffending, majorities of all three groups also opposed lesser sanctions for those convicted of violence who likewise pose little risk of reoffending.

From Slate

A podcast designed to knock down misinformation — a common misbelief is that the vaccines affect fertility — plays around the base.

From New York Times

It’s a common misbelief that terroir is a concept singular to the French, and that no corresponding word exists in other cultures.

From New York Times

Related Words

• blunder
• failure
• fault
• flaw
• glitch
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscalculation
• miscue
• misdeed
• mismanagement
• misstep
• misunderstanding
• offense
• omission
• sin
• transgression
• wrongdoing