mistaken belief

Meanings

1. 1phrasecountable

   A wrong idea that someone accepts as true, often because of bad information or faulty reasoning.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a mistaken belief or mistaken beliefs.

   Patterns

   • a mistaken belief that …
   • a mistaken belief about something
   • hold a mistaken belief
   • be under a mistaken belief

   Many people hold the mistaken belief that lightning never strikes the same place twice.

   She acted on the mistaken belief that the deadline had been extended.

   There is a common mistaken belief that goldfish have very short memories.

2. 2phrasecountable

   A false conviction about one's own situation, especially one that leads to wrong decisions.

   Grammar: Often used with 'under': be under a mistaken belief.

   Patterns

   • be under a mistaken belief
   • labour under a mistaken belief
   • correct a mistaken belief

   He was under the mistaken belief that his ticket was still valid.

   The company laboured under the mistaken belief that customers wanted bigger phones.

3. 3phrasecountable

   An incorrect opinion about someone's character or intentions.

   Grammar: Usually appears with 'about' plus a person or group.

   Patterns

   • a mistaken belief about someone
   • a mistaken belief about something

   Her mistaken belief about his motives caused a serious quarrel.

   We should not let mistaken beliefs about foreigners shape our policy.

Common combinations

hold a mistaken belief

Some patients hold the mistaken belief that antibiotics cure every illness.

be under a mistaken belief

I was under the mistaken belief that the shop opened at nine.

a common mistaken belief

It is a common mistaken belief that we only use ten percent of our brains.

clear up a mistaken belief

The article clears up a mistaken belief about how vaccines work.

act on a mistaken belief

They acted on a mistaken belief and lost a lot of money.

Synonyms and how they differ

misconception

A more formal single noun for a widely held wrong idea; it fits academic writing better than the longer phrase.

delusion

Stronger and often medical: a delusion is a fixed false belief that evidence cannot change, while a mistaken belief can be corrected easily.

misapprehension

Very formal and slightly old-fashioned; use it in legal or official writing rather than everyday speech.

error

A general word for any mistake; it does not specifically mean a belief, so it is less precise here.

Opposites

Word family

mistake noun

Something done or understood wrongly; the root of the phrase.

mistaken adjective

Wrong in one's judgment or understanding.

mistakenly adverb

In a wrong way, by error: 'He mistakenly believed she had left.'

Commonly confused: mistaken belief or misbelief? mistaken belief or disbelief?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mistaken belief”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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