misinterpret

[ mis-in-tur-prit ]

/ ˌmɪs ɪnˈtɜr prɪt /

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See synonyms for misinterpret on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)

to interpret, explain, or understand incorrectly.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

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Origin of misinterpret

First recorded in 1580–90; mis-¹ + interpret

OTHER WORDS FROM misinterpret

mis·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjectivemis·in·ter·pre·ta·tion, nounmis·in·ter·pret·er, nounun·mis·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby misinterpret

mishpocha, misidentify, misimpression, misinform, misinformation, misinterpret, misjoinder, misjudge, Miskito, misknow, Miskolc

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use misinterpret in a sentence

That’s a high bar, and the power of social media to amplify false or misinterpreted messages and spread them far and wide is huge.
A doctor on 9 things that could go wrong with the new vaccines|F. Perry Wilson|December 11, 2020|Vox
In our experience, the Halo could detect ups and downs in our voice, but seemed to misinterpret situations regularly.
Amazon’s new health band is the most invasive tech we’ve ever tested|Geoffrey Fowler, Heather Kelly|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Others worry about uttering the wrong word or being misinterpreted and facing backlash from administrators, parents or polarized community members.
As the election draws near, civics and government teachers walk a fine line|Joe Heim|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Officials said the draft was removed because they feared the language could be misinterpreted as suggesting that airborne transmission is the main way the virus spreads.
CDC says airborne transmission plays a role in coronavirus spread in a long-awaited update after a website error last month|Lena H. Sun, Ben Guarino|October 5, 2020|Washington Post

Beginning in 2007, she published a series of papers arguing that the basic tools the federal government uses to generate manufacturing, import, and export statistics were misleading and frequently misinterpreted.
Unmade in America|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Indeed, Millennials seem to be using familiar political terms in ways that are easy to misinterpret.
Hey, Boomers—Millennials Hate Your Partisan Crap|Nick Gillespie|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They will find that they are prone to continuously misread and misinterpret their emergent partner, protagonist and rival.
Why America Must Learn to Bow|Martin Jacques|November 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST
You can not misinterpret me; I dont want Sue to be hurt, and I do not want you to be capable of hurting her.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
And then eagerly, as though she feared he might misinterpret, "Still, I should like them——"
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
Byron felt sure that his enemies would misinterpret his motives, and that no good would come of it.
Byron|Richard Edgcumbe
I assure you I feel this, so do not misinterpret anything I say to you as being written in a flippant or critical spirit.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. III (of 3)|George Eliot
The tendency is to exaggerate the picturesque parts of the story and to misinterpret motives.
The Island Mystery|George A. Birmingham

British Dictionary definitions for misinterpret

misinterpret

/ (ˌmɪsɪnˈtɜːprɪt) /

verb

(tr) to interpret badly, misleadingly, or incorrectly

Derived forms of misinterpret

misinterpretation, nounmisinterpreter, noun

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

misinterpret

Origin of misinterpret

OTHER WORDS FROM misinterpret

Words nearby misinterpret

Words related to misinterpret

How to use misinterpret in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for misinterpret

Derived forms of misinterpret