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

Even the slightest touch from a resident was construed as an “attack” that was then used to justify street brawls under the ludicrous pretense of self-defense.

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"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.

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“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.”

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

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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.

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Related Words

• define 
• infer 
• interpret 
• parse 
• translate