misinformation

[mis-in-fer-mey-shuhn]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of misinformation¹

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

Example Sentences

In April, at his first news conference since taking office, Kennedy spouted a fountain of misinformation about autism.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The technology stands accused of fuelling misinformation, copyright lawsuits are mushrooming, and many companies have cited AI adoption as an explanation for mass layoffs.

Read more on Barron's

"I'd like to see the social media companies take away all the misinformation to protect families like ours, especially when there has been a massive story in the media," Ms Duncan said.

Read more on BBC

Brussels had already opened an investigation into X at the end of 2023, with a particular focus on misinformation.

Read more on Barron's

Public attacks against Tomer-Yerushalmi reached a crescendo in recent weeks, with many posts on social media calling for her to be killed, according to Fake Reporter, an Israeli misinformation watchdog.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• falsity 
• misreport 
• misstatement www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

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.