misbelief
Falsely held notion
Misbelief is a false or mistaken belief—something held to be true that isn't.
The word implies error rather than willful deception: His misbelief that the project was on schedule led to problems later.
It often appears in religious contexts for beliefs considered heretical or unfounded.
Compare disbelief, which is absence of belief rather than wrong belief.
Erroneous belief or understanding
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- fallacyError in reasoning
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
inaccuracy · false notion · untruth · distortion · misinformation · factual error · wrong impression · misreading
Unverified viral story
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- old wives' taleUnfounded traditional belief
- tall taleWildly exaggerated story
- misnomerIncorrectly applied designation
Misleading sensory impression
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
unreality · misperception · hallucination · paranoia · false impression · wishful thinking · denial · confabulation
Renunciation of former beliefs
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
- unorthodoxyDeparture from accepted belief
- heterodoxyUnorthodox belief or opinion
- dissentDisagreement with authority
schism · iconoclasm · sectarianism · infidelity · irreligion · nonconformism · deviation · excommunication
misconception
Erroneous belief or understanding
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- fallacyError in reasoning
falsehood · inaccuracy · false notion · untruth · distortion · misinformation · factual error · wrong impression · misreading
urban legend
Unverified viral story
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- old wives' taleUnfounded traditional belief
- tall taleWildly exaggerated story
misnomer · pseudoscience · flat earth · conspiracy theory · fake news
illusion
Misleading sensory impression
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- mirageAtmospheric optical deception
chimera · unreality · misperception · hallucination · paranoia · false impression · wishful thinking · denial · confabulation · rationalization
apostasy
Renunciation of former beliefs
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
- unorthodoxyDeparture from accepted belief
- heterodoxyUnorthodox belief or opinion
dissent · schism · iconoclasm · sectarianism · infidelity · irreligion · nonconformism · deviation · excommunication · anathema
omen
Prophetic indicator
curse · jinx · evil eye · old wives' tale · taboo · bad luck · black cat · broken mirror · horseshoe · rabbit's foot
- Misconceptionsmisconception, myth, fallacy, false assumption, wrong idea
- heresiesGnosticism, heresy, Monophysitism, Bogomilism, unorthodoxy
- beliefscreed, creeds, faith, faiths, religion
- mistakesmistake, mistakes, slip, error, errors
- Mistakes & Liesmistakes, lies, errors, error, mistake
- misunderstandingsmisunderstanding, misinterpretation, misconception, misreading, miscommunication
misbelieforthodoxy
Adherence to accepted beliefs
true faith · gospel truth · articles of faith · dogma · creed