misconceptions
Wrongly held ideas
Misconceptions are mistaken beliefs or wrong ideas about something: Common misconceptions about evolution persist despite scientific consensus.
The word implies the belief was formed through faulty understanding rather than deliberate deception—you misconceive something by misinterpreting evidence or accepting false information.
She had misconceptions about what the job would involve.
Traditional explanatory tale
- fallacyError in reasoning
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- untruthA false statement
- misbeliefFalse notion held true
old wives' tale · superstition · urban legend · fake news · misinformation · disinformation · half-truth · canard
Failure to grasp meaning
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- misperceptionIncorrect interpretation of reality
- misapprehensionIncorrect belief or understanding
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
confusion · misjudgment · misestimate · miscalculation · assumption · presumption · faulty reasoning · cognitive bias
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- overgeneralizationUnwarranted broad application
- oversimplificationStripping complexity unfairly
cliché · caricature · typecast · pigeonhole · label · stigma · profiling · assumption
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
misbelief · old wives' tale · superstition · urban legend · fake news · misinformation · disinformation · half-truth · canard · debunked
misunderstanding
Failure to grasp meaning
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
- misperceptionIncorrect interpretation of reality
- misapprehensionIncorrect belief or understanding
misreading · confusion · misjudgment · misestimate · miscalculation · assumption · presumption · faulty reasoning · cognitive bias · confirmation bias
prejudice
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- overgeneralizationUnwarranted broad application
oversimplification · cliché · caricature · typecast · pigeonhole · label · stigma · profiling · assumption · snap judgment
debunk
Expose as false
correct · disabuse · enlighten · educate · unlearn · relearn · fact-check · set straight · clear up · expose
- knowledge gapsignorance, gaps, information gap, blind spots, blind spot
- misinformationmisinformation, disinformation, fake news, falsehoods, hoaxes
- thinking errorsad hominem, straw man, slippery slope, confirmation bias, sunk cost fallacy
- nonproblemsnonissues, trifles, trivia, molehills, false alarms
- errorserror, mistake, blunder, blunders, fault
- misjudgementsmistakes, blunders, errors, oversights, lapses
misconceptionsfacts
Verifiable pieces of truth
truths · realities · verities · hard facts · certainties
misconceptionsknowledge
Understood facts and skills
understanding · insights · comprehension · awareness · enlightenment