superstitious notion
- noun
- /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs ˈnoʊʃən/
:
noción supersticiosa
- She dismissed the superstitious notion that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day.
Examples
-
Many cultures have a superstitious notion that walking under a ladder brings bad luck.
-
Now that's obviously a mystical superstitious notion on my part, yet it seems to happen quite often.
-
Despite the superstitious notion that black cats are omens of misfortune, I adopted one from the shelter.
Synonyms
83
5.6
A belief that also leads to habits based on fear rather than reason
Antonyms
- Formal
5
7.7
The belief that reason and logic give true knowledge more than feeling or experience
How Rational
- Archaic
∞
1.1
1
3.6
- Literature
240
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun combination where 'superstitious' (based on superstition) directly modifies 'notion' (an idea or belief), so the overall meaning 'an irrational belief based on superstition' is transparently derivable from the parts. This compositional, cross-linguistically common pattern makes the phrase immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase superstitious notion comes from simple old actions: when people saw unlucky events they made small rules, like avoiding black cats or knocking on wood, to try to stop bad 'luck'. Because these ideas grew from fear and chance rather than facts, a superstitious notion now means an 'unreasonable belief'.