misattribution
Americannoun
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misattributions
plural
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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
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When social unrest arises, it can be difficult in the chaos to know how much responsibility can be assigned to the RSS or its affiliates, and RSS members frequently claim misattribution from their political adversaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
That report was widely criticized for misattribution and for misstating the conclusions of the studies it cited.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Every time the Captain corrects Claude's misattribution of a quote or misidentification of an American musician, it feels like a test.
From Salon ● May 12, 2024
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 Surendranath Dasgupta
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
The lack of familiarity with the culture behind the art leads to misattributions.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 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now a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, became aware of the misattributions when he saw a copy of Mao's Unpublished Poems.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
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