popular belief
What most think
Popular belief refers to ideas widely held by the general public, often without rigorous verification: Contrary to popular belief, lightning can strike the same place twice.
The phrase typically appears when challenging or confirming what most people think: Popular belief has it that carrots improve night vision.
It carries a slight suggestion that common assumptions may be wrong.
- vox populiVoice of the people
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
- massesBulk or populace
- urban legendUnverified viral story
- whisperSpeech without full voice
word of mouth · superstition · opinion poll · old wives' tale · myth · stereotype · fable · assumption · collective memory · apocryphal · folklore · misconception · cultural narrative · crowd · meme · hearsay · handed down · widespread
- Assumptionsfalse assumption, stereotypes, generalizations, biases, prejudices
- beliefscreed, creeds, faith, faiths, religion
- folk wisdomproverb, folklore, folk sayings, saying, proverbs
popular beliefscientific consensus
Prevailing expert judgment
expert opinion · technical expertise · scholarly consensus · scientific knowledge
people, public, belief, popular, believe, credit, population, beliefs, believing