misattribution
Americannoun
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an incorrect attribution, especially in crediting a specific work to the wrong author, artist, etc.
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Psychology. a psychological process in which someone incorrectly identifies the source of a memory or feeling.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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This misattribution of mind to machine has deep roots in our psychology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
But its existence also means there’s no excuses for misattribution or misquotes, which is surely part of its at least temporary revival.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2026
That report was widely criticized for misattribution and for misstating the conclusions of the studies it cited.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Manifestation is another misattribution of cause-and-effect, just with a more positive spin: if I got a promotion, it’s because I put a dollar sign on my vision board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
The forms of ajñâna if they are to be known must be associated with pure consciousness, and this association means an illusion, superimposition, and mutual misattribution.
From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath
Deliberate fakes, misattributions and poor restorations all encroach into the realm of the authentic.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 15, 2018
BuzzFeed found at leas eight examples of these ridiculous misattributions — including a Dolly Parton quote attributed to John Quincy Adams.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2014
The latest row involving Orlando Figes concerns allegations of poor scholarship, misattributions and basic factual mistakes.
From The Guardian ● May 27, 2012
“There are a lot of Leeteg knockoffs,” he said, and fakes and misattributions have muddied the market.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2011
Chen, now a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, became aware of the misattributions when he saw a copy of Mao's Unpublished Poems.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
