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

"We often report on misinformers and other hoaxsters using AI to fabricate false images and videos," said Waqar Rizvi from the misinformation tracker NewsGuard.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Take more agency over your tax affairs, rather than relying on someone to give you misinformation during the process.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

She stuck to traditional news outlets to avoid misinformation being shared by family and on social media.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

But she says the downside to that is misinformation.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 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