mass delusion
Shared widespread misconception
Mass delusion is a false belief shared by a large group of people despite clear evidence against it.
The term implies the belief persists because social reinforcement overrides individual judgment—people believe because others around them believe.
Some historians view the Salem witch trials as a mass delusion.
The phrase often carries judgment: calling something a mass delusion dismisses it as collective irrationality rather than legitimate disagreement.
- hysteriaUncontrollable emotional excess
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- herd mentalityTendency to follow crowds
- mob mentalityCollective irrationality in groups
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
contagion · panic · moral panic · mania · cult · true believers · brainwashing · propaganda · frenzy · herd · zealots · fanaticism · paranoia · conspiracy · witchhunt · Salem witch trials · fever · collective
mass delusioncollective wisdom
Shared understanding of groups
universal truth · common knowledge · public awareness · public understanding · scientific consensus
mass, masses, massive, massively, massiveness, delusion, delusions, delude, deluded