misinformation

American  

[mis-in-fer-mey-shuhn] / ˌmɪs ɪn fərˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.

   In the chaotic hours after the earthquake, a lot of misinformation was reported in the news.

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Usage

What's the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation refers to false information, regardless of whether or not it’s intended to mislead or deceive people. Disinformation, in contrast, refers to false information that’s spread with the specific intent of misleading or deceiving people. Due to their similarity, the terms are sometimes used in overlapping ways. All disinformation is misinformation, but not all misinformation is disinformation. Disinformation is the more specific of the two because it always implies that the false information is being provided or spread on purpose. Disinformation is especially used in the context of large-scale deception, such as a disinformation campaign by a government that targets the population of another country. Misinformation can be spread with the intent to trick people or just because someone incorrectly thinks it’s true. This distinction can also be seen in the difference between their verb forms, misinform and disinform. To misinform someone is to provide them with wrong information, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it was intentional. Disinform, which is much less commonly used, means to intentionally provide or spread false information. One way to remember the difference between misinformation and disinformation is to remember that misinformation can be a mistake, while disinformation is not just false but dishonest. Here’s an example of misinformation and disinformation used correctly in a sentence. Example: The intelligence report concluded that the rumors spread prior to the election were not simply the result of misinformation but rather of coordinated disinformation by a foreign power. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between misinformation and disinformation.

Etymology

Origin of misinformation

First recorded in 1580–90; mis- ¹ ( def. ) + information ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's stated as a fact but isn't true is misinformation, especially if this is done on purpose. During a political campaign, one candidate might accuse another of spreading misinformation about her. Misinformation is sometimes simply incorrect, like when your friend explains the mechanics of how airplanes fly but gets most of the details wrong. There's also the kind of misinformation that's deliberate, meant to hurt someone's reputation or keep secrets hidden. A government might release misinformation to hide classified details from spies, for example. When you add the "bad or wrong" prefix mis- to information, you get misinformation.

Example Sentences

They suggest that better public education has helped reduce the spread of the misinformation.

From Science Daily • Jul. 10, 2026

There have been plenty of warnings about the dangers of AI for aid agencies, who face growing challenges of securing often extremely sensitive data and swelling misinformation about their operations and beneficiaries.

From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026

We’re seeing the first celebrity wedding that’s mediated almost entirely through misinformation.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026

Contending with stigma and misinformation has been a constant struggle for people who are HIV-positive, he said, a struggle that Zaldivar hopes to make more visible now than it has been in previous decades.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

This misinformation didn’t stop the pandemic; some places saw death rates as high as 10 percent.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• falsity
• misreport
• misstatement