misperception

noun

mis·​per·​cep·​tion ˌmis-pər-ˈsēp-shən 

plural misperceptions

: a false or inaccurate perception

… a host of misperceptions about the '50s, including the skewed notion that women didn't work in the 1950s, especially if they were mothers. Even in the '50s, one-fifth of mothers had paying jobs.

—Jeff Reid

Examples of misperception in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Americans who hold anti-intellectual views were more resistant to vaccinating against COVID in the early days of the pandemic; more likely to believe that climate change is not human-caused; and more likely to express misperceptions about macroeconomic performance. —Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024

The misperception continues that risks from nature loss are for the future. —Nina Seega, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Overall, women’s misperceptions of their own risk may hold them back from getting a doctor to check out possible symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. —Amy Huebschmann, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024

Criminologists say local news and social media are fueling that misperception. —Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1722, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

misperception

noun

mis·​per·​cep·​tion ˌmis-pər-ˈsep-shən 

: a false perception