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.
“There is a misconception on how much progress quantum computing has been made on breaking modern encryption methods,” analysts wrote.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
There is a popular misconception that no one beats the market.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
What’s the biggest misconception people have about what a military parent might be like?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
“A major misconception is that people can just ‘rebuild,’” Espino said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Gradually the sufferer grows thoroughly disoriented and subject to increasingly dangerous hallucinations—including the decidedly cruel misconception that he is not freezing but burning up.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
