I falsely believed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "I falsely believed" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when expressing a misconception or misunderstanding that you had in the past. Example: "I falsely believed that the meeting was scheduled for Friday, but it was actually on Thursday."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

If I falsely believe that I have left the burner on, the cost is relatively low—I am inconvenienced by confirming that it is off.

SEP

If I falsely believe that I have not left the burner on, the cost is extremely high my house being destroyed by fire.

SEP

For example, when I falsely believe that staying on 95N will get me to Memphis, which is where I intend to go, and so I intend to stay on 95N, it's my belief that 95N will get me to Memphis that's unreasonable, not the intention, based on this belief, to stay on 95N.

SEP

"I had falsely believed the myth that the original Berkeley campus was the 'Bénard plan' resulting from the Phoebe Apperson Hearst competition of 1899.

University of California, Berkeley

I had spent very little time with people with disabilities of any kind prior to the camp, because I had falsely believed that Down syndrome was communicable via eye contact.

Vice

They had falsely believed that unregulated capitalism could dodge the bullet of depression.

The New York Times

But his wife falsely believed she was too old to get pregnant.

The New York Times

He's falsely believed that slogans, rather than painstaking explanations, would convince people to accept his policies.

The Guardian

In Experiment 1, after passing the FB task, participants were asked what a puppet would do after he failed to find his toy at the falsely believed location.

Cognitive Development

Among the most harmless of lizards are geckos, which are falsely believed to be highly venomous by many indigenous cultures throughout the world.

Encyclopedia Britannica

"Despite warnings, the bank falsely believed that its financial products in relation to the U.S. real estate market were valuable and sufficiently hedged against losses," the report said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "I falsely believed" when you want to take responsibility for a past incorrect belief.

Common error

Avoid stating "I falsely believed X" without explaining what the actual truth or correct belief is. This can leave your audience confused and unsure of what you are trying to communicate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "I falsely believed" functions as a declarative statement where the speaker acknowledges and expresses a past incorrect belief. It indicates a change in understanding or knowledge.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "I falsely believed" is a grammatically sound and clear way to express a past incorrect belief. While Ludwig's AI confirms its correctness, the absence of real-world examples suggests it might not be a frequently used expression in written English. Nevertheless, it serves as a suitable way of taking responsibility for a previous misjudgment. Closely related alternatives such as "I incorrectly believed" or "I was under the false impression" may also be considered.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

I incorrectly believed that

Simply replaces "falsely" with "incorrectly".

I was under the false impression that

Replaces "believed" with "was under the impression", adding emphasis to the incorrect understanding.

I mistakenly thought that

Uses "mistakenly thought" instead of "falsely believed", implying an error in thinking.

I had the wrong idea that

Expresses the incorrect belief as having a "wrong idea".

I erroneously assumed that

Replaces "believed" with "assumed", suggesting a conclusion was reached without sufficient evidence.

I was wrong in believing that

Directly states the incorrectness of the belief.

I was under a misapprehension that

Uses the more formal term "misapprehension" to describe the false belief.

I was deceived into thinking that

Suggests an external source caused the false belief.

It was wrong of me to believe that

Places emphasis on the speaker's responsibility for the false belief.

I labored under the delusion that

Emphasizes the falseness and potentially irrational nature of the belief.

FAQs

What does "I falsely believed" mean?

The phrase "I falsely believed" indicates that you held a belief in the past that you now know to be untrue or incorrect.

What can I say instead of "I falsely believed"?

You can use alternatives like "I mistakenly thought", "I was under the false impression", or "I incorrectly believed" depending on the context.

Is it redundant to say "I falsely believed"? Isn't belief always assumed to be true?

While beliefs are typically held as true, using "falsely" emphasizes that the belief was, in fact, incorrect. It adds clarity and can highlight a contrast between a past misunderstanding and present knowledge.

How do I use "I falsely believed" in a sentence?

Use "I falsely believed" to introduce a statement about a past belief that you now recognize as untrue. For example, "I falsely believed that all swans were white, until I saw a black swan".