misconstrue
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of misconstrue
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; mis- 1, construe
Explanation
To misconstrue is to get the wrong idea about something. If you misconstrue a friend’s silence, you might get mad at him for ignoring you — until you find out he has a sore throat and can’t talk. The verb misconstrue comes from mis- meaning "wrong" and construe meaning "construction." Combined they mean "to put a wrong construction on" — in other words, to interpret in the wrong way. Sometimes people can intentionally allow others to misconstrue something for personal gain. For example, a politician may let voters misconstrue her voting record if she believes doing so will help her get elected.
Vocabulary lists containing misconstrue
Power Prefix: mis-
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Julius Caesar
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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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.
Ms. Hadden has since apologized for suggesting the victim caused her own death while blaming media for “intentionally creating sound bites to misconstrue my words during this tragedy.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
And when a stock has been tumbling, it’s tempting to misconstrue a bit of good news for a change in trade.
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
"Many people, in good faith, misconstrue what I'm saying, and they think I'm trying to do a sort of come-on to the camera. And I really am not," she told food podcast Sporked.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
Swain emphasized that he didn’t want any surfers to misconstrue the intensity of the storm.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024
“Explanation will do for another time,” thought I. Still, when I reached my chamber, I felt a pang at the idea she should even temporarily misconstrue what she had seen.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
