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misconstruction

American  
[mis-kuhn-struhk-shuhn] / ˌmɪs kənˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

  1. wrong construction; misinterpretation.

    to put a misconstruction upon an action.

  2. an act or instance of misconstruing.


misconstruction British  
/ ˌmɪskənˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

  1. a false interpretation of evidence, facts, etc

  2. a faulty construction, esp in grammar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of misconstruction

First recorded in 1505–15; mis- 1 + construction

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.

But the venture of projecting an album into the future — especially one centered on climate catastrophe — can face its own set of preconceived expectations that can lead to misconstruction.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2022

Yale historian Matthew Frye Jacobson told the Times, in a story that was otherwise a whitewash of Lukianoff’s FIRE, that the organization’s spin and the media coverage were “a complete misconstruction of what happened.”

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2019

Arguably this is a misconstruction of the county prerogative.

From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2017

Faulkner later called this comment “foolish” and “more a misconstruction than a misquotation.”

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2015

Only those who have lived in an atmosphere of misconstruction, surrounded by scowls and sneers, can understand what a cordial the clasp of a hand, or the word of sympathy is.

From The Expositor's Bible: Colossians and Philemon by Maclaren, Alexander

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