construed

[kuhn-strood]

adjective

1. interpreted or understood.

   Degrees from these “diploma mills” are often awarded based on vaguely construed life experience.

2. arrived at by inference or interpretation.

   Public interest must necessarily overlap with a correctly construed definition of “national interest.”

3. arranged or combined syntactically.

   Her soothing tones and delicate, thoughtfully construed statements only burrowed further and more painfully into his heart.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of construe.

Other Word Forms

• unconstrued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of construed¹

construe ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

"Nothing in this MOU is, or shall be interpreted or construed as an offer, promise or acceptance of any form of bribery, undue influence or corrupt practice," the document says.

Read more on BBC

“If you read it, I’m not sure how it could be construed as a threat. … I’d like to see journalists held at a higher standard.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Any posts that could be construed as anti-American would result in automatic rejection.

Read more on Salon

The statute also states that nothing in that section “may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility” for the purpose of conducting oversight.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That could be construed as willful escapism or youthful irresponsibility; it strikes me as more like storytelling, an area where the Irish are known to excel.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• define 
• infer 
• interpret 
• parse 
• translate