Meaning & use
superstition
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A belief that certain acts, signs or objects bring luck or harm, held without any real proof.
Grammar: Countable for one belief: a superstition; uncountable for the idea: superstition.
Patterns
- a superstition about something
- superstition surrounding something
Walking under a ladder is bad luck, says an old superstition.
The sailors had many superstitions about whistling on board.
Some people carry a coin out of superstition.
noununcountabledisapproving
Fear of the unknown or irrational belief in supernatural forces, especially when it affects how people behave.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and often paired with ignorance.
Patterns
- ignorance and superstition
The villagers feared the forest because of superstition.
Education helped to push back superstition in the community.
He dismissed the story as pure superstition.
Word forms
| plural | superstitions |
|---|
Common combinations
- popular superstition
- It is a popular superstition that the number thirteen is unlucky.
- out of superstition
- He never changes his socks before a match, out of superstition.
- ancient superstition
- The ritual is based on an ancient superstition.
- ignorance and superstition
- The doctor fought ignorance and superstition.
- believe in superstition
- She doesn't believe in superstition but avoids black cats anyway.
Synonyms and how they differ
- myth
- A myth is a widely held false idea or traditional story, but it need not involve luck.
- old wives' tale
- Old wives' tale is a dismissive phrase for a folk belief, especially about health, and is more casual.
- folklore
- Folklore refers to traditional stories and customs of a group and is not necessarily about luck or fear.
- omen
- An omen is a single event seen as a sign of the future, whereas a superstition is the belief itself.
Opposites
Word family
- superstitious adjective
- believing in superstitions
- superstitiously adverb
- in a superstitious way
- superstitiousness noun
- the habit of believing in superstitions
Commonly confused: superstition or supposition? superstition or superstitious?
superstition vs supposition
A supposition is something assumed to be true, not necessarily a belief about luck.
superstition vs superstitious
Superstitious is the adjective for a person, while superstition is the noun for the belief.
Practice
Many athletes follow the same routine before a game out of ____.
Choose one answer.
Superstition means a belief that a routine brings luck, which fits the athletes. Supposition, suspicion and supervision do not have this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “superstition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.