misinterpret

[ mis-in-tur-prit ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to interpret, explain, or understand incorrectly.

misinterpret

/ ˌmɪsɪnˈtɜːprɪt /

verb

1. tr to interpret badly, misleadingly, or incorrectly

Derived Forms

• ˌmisinˌterpreˈtation, noun
• ˌmisinˈterpreter, noun

Other Words From

• misin·terpret·a·ble adjective
• misin·terpre·tation noun
• misin·terpret·er noun
• unmis·in·terpret·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of misinterpret¹

First recorded in 1580–90; mis- ¹ + interpret

Example Sentences

That’s a high bar, and the power of social media to amplify false or misinterpreted messages and spread them far and wide is huge.

From Vox

In our experience, the Halo could detect ups and downs in our voice, but seemed to misinterpret situations regularly.

From Washington Post

Others worry about uttering the wrong word or being misinterpreted and facing backlash from administrators, parents or polarized community members.

From Washington Post

Officials said the draft was removed because they feared the language could be misinterpreted as suggesting that airborne transmission is the main way the virus spreads.

From Washington Post

Beginning in 2007, she published a series of papers arguing that the basic tools the federal government uses to generate manufacturing, import, and export statistics were misleading and frequently misinterpreted.

From MIT Technology Review

Indeed, Millennials seem to be using familiar political terms in ways that are easy to misinterpret.

From The Daily Beast

They will find that they are prone to continuously misread and misinterpret their emergent partner, protagonist and rival.

From The Daily Beast

You can not misinterpret me; I dont want Sue to be hurt, and I do not want you to be capable of hurting her.

From Project Gutenberg

And then eagerly, as though she feared he might misinterpret, "Still, I should like them——"

From Project Gutenberg

Byron felt sure that his enemies would misinterpret his motives, and that no good would come of it.

From Project Gutenberg

I assure you I feel this, so do not misinterpret anything I say to you as being written in a flippant or critical spirit.

From Project Gutenberg

The tendency is to exaggerate the picturesque parts of the story and to misinterpret motives.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• distort
• err
• falsify
• garble
• miscalculate
• misread
• misrepresent
• misunderstand