misconceive

American  

[mis-kuhn-seev] / ˌmɪs kənˈsiv /

verb (used with or without object)

misconceived, misconceiving

1. to conceive or interpret wrongly; misunderstand.

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misconceive British  

/ ˌmɪskənˈsiːv /

verb

1. to have the wrong idea; fail to understand

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Other Word Forms

• misconceiver noun

Etymology

Origin of misconceive

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; mis- ¹, conceive

Example Sentences

Regrettably, he and they misconceive the application of the U.S.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2023

People misconceive reality, according to his diagnosis, because they think about it without imagination or by rote.

From Time Magazine Archive

For her purposes she preferred that he should entirely misconceive her.

From The Salamander by Johnson, Owen

But to suppose that either of these charges extends to the character of the moralist is altogether to misconceive the position which moral theories actually hold in life.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 1 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole

"If I do not misconceive them greatly, they must be very unsuitable associates for a young lady educated in a French convent."

From The O'Donoghue Tale Of Ireland Fifty Years Ago by Lever, Charles James