misconception
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of misconception
First recorded in 1655–65; mis- 1 + conception
Explanation
A misconception is a conclusion that's wrong because it's based on faulty thinking or facts that are wrong. Your accusation about your brother's role in that unfortunate event at your party may be based on a misconception. First appearing in the 1660s, the noun misconception comes from the prefix mis-, meaning "bad, wrong," and the word conception, meaning "act of conceiving." A misconception usually results from incorrect thinking or a flawed understanding. Because they don't know the facts, many people have a misconception about how diseases such as AIDS are transmitted. It's a common misconception that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, when, in fact, he didn't.
Vocabulary lists containing misconception
Power Prefix: mis-
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Eats, Shoots & Leaves
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World Without Fish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also says that it’s a common misconception that Roth IRAs should be the last account tapped in retirement.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026
That misconception, they say, contributes to the glut of plastic piling up in our rivers and oceans, and inside our bodies.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026
As the debate rages in some states, the biggest misconception is that this is a tuition voucher program.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
There is a misconception about Pimenta that she has stepped into the role left by Mino Raiola's untimely death in April 2020.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
The common impression that pre-agricultural humans lived in an age of stone is a misconception based on this archaeological bias.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
